PURGING ROLL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 26 June 1943, Page 5

PURGING ROLL

ELECTORS’ OBLIGATIONS NOTIFYING CHANGE OF ADDRESS 940 NAMES DELETED It is not generally known that failuff to notify the Registrar of Electors of a change of address makes a person liable to a fine. Many who have neglected their obligations in this regard may find themselves disfranchised at the general election owing to their names having been removed from the electoral roll. As a result of a cleansing of the Nelson rolol 940 names have been deleted. These are the names of people who are believed to have left the district, but the number may include people who have changed their address in the electorate and their new address is not known either to Post Office officials or the Registrar of Electors. The responsibility is on these electors to make sure that their name is retained on the roll otherwise they will not be eligible to vote at the next election. Usually notices are sent out to everyone on the roll but this year, on account of labour and paper shortages, rolls were sent to the police and Post Offices throughout the district and they were asked to indicate all persons whom they knew on the roll and those who had changed their address. ENQUIRY NOTICES Enquiry notices were then sent out to 1739 persons who had changed their address and 2053 objections were sent to people who were believed to have left the electorate, or whose address was unknown. A total of 1226 electors are known to have changed their address, an unusually large figure. A number of these were due to the renumbering of houses in Nelson City. Those in doubt as to whether their name is on the roll should inspect the roll at the Courthouse, Nelson. PROVISION FOR ARMED FORCES All members of the armed forces, men and women, have had their names retained on the roll. Every man in the forces serving overseas w\U be entitled to vote, whether he is 21 or not Those serving in New Zealand, however, must be on the electoral roll. If a soldier’s name is on the Nelson electoral roll he can vote for this electorate, no matter where he is stationed in New Zealand. NUMBER ON ROLL The roll number at the last election was 11,518. Since the cleansing of the roll in September, 1941, up to 31st March, 1943, 749 new applications for enrolment have been received. Since the cleansing of the roll started in April there have been a further 175 new enrolments; and 561 names have been removed since the roll was printed, owing to transfers or death, while 940 have been deleted as stated above. The roll at present stands at 10,940. During the period from the cleansing of the roll in 1941 up to 31st March, this year only 363 persons had notified change of address. Since inquiries started in April there have been 1226 notifications of changes of address.