NEW ELECTORAL BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12401, 24 October 1903, Page 5

NEW ELECTORAL BILL.

THE PRINCIPAL CLAUSES.

ABSOLUTE MAJORITY NECESSARY.

INTERFERENCE WITH ELECTORS PROHIBITED.

DUTIES OP OFFICIALS. [by TELEGRAPH. — correspondent.] Wellington, Friday. The Electoral Act Amendment Bill was introduced by the Premier to-day. The principal provisions are contained in clauses 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 26, and 28, which read as follows: —

13. The amount of .deposit required by section 100 of the principal Act to be. made by, or on behalf of, a candidate, shall be £20 in lieu of £10, and the proportion of votes required' by the same section to be polled for any unsuccessful candidate to avoid forfeiture of such deposit shall be one-fourth (in lieu of one-tenth) of the number of votes polled by the successful candidate.

15. (1) Where any person whose name is not on the electoral roll of a district claims to vote at any election, and makes a declaration, disclosing his qualification to be enrolled and vote, the -returning officer shall place his name, address, and occupation, or description on a special roll, and shall deliver to him a ballot paper. (2) Every person who obtains a ballot paper under this section having made any statement in his declaration that he knew to be false, is liable to one years imprisonment with hard labour. (3) Section 65 of the principal Act shall be read, subject to this section.

16. (1) Any elector may claim to vote outside his district at any polling place appointed, under section 107 of the principal Act. (2) On any such vote being claimed the deputy-returning officer shall deal with the ballot paper delivered to the elector in the manner provided by section 123 of the principal Act, and the elector shall deposit such ballot paper in the ballot box specially for the purpose. (3) On the close of the poll the deputy-returning officer shall separate such ballot papers according to the districts for which each such ballot paper is applicable, shall transmit by telegraph, or other expedilous means, to the returning officer of each district a statement of the name, address, and occupation and description of every elector who has recorded a vote for that district, and shall forward to such last-mentioned returning officer by the most expeditious means in a package marked "Absent voters' ballot papers," the ballot papers and any documents of any kind received in connection therewith.

17. Every voter shall indicate the candidate for whom he desires to vote, marking a cross on his ballot paper in the square set opposite to that candidate's name, provided that no ballot paper shall be rejected as informal that clearly indicates the candidate for whom the voter intended to vote, whether such indication is made in a manner prescribed by this section, or by striking out the names of' the candidates for whom the voter does nob intend to vote. 20. (1) If the returning officer finds that any candidate has received an absolute majority of votes (meaning thereby a number of votes greater than one-half of all votes recorded at the election, exclusive of votes rejected as informal, but inclusive of the casting vote of the returning officer, when given), he shall publicly declare that candidate to be elected. (2) If he finds that no candidate has received an absolute majority of votes a. second poll shall be taken, and the returning officer shall give public notice thereof. 21. (1) Such second poll shall be taken on such day as the returning officer fixes, being not more than seven days from the date of the notice, between the candidate who, but for the provisions of last preceding section, would have been entitled to be declared elected, and the one who received the next highest number. 26. (1) In addition to events on the happening of which the seat of any member becomes vacant under section 21 of the principal Act, it is hereby declared that such seat shall become vacant if the member becomes a contractor or Civil servant, as respectively defined by section 15 of the same Act,

28. Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding; £20 who at an election(a) In any way interferes with any elector, either in polling booth or while on his way thereto, with the intention of influencing him, or advising him as to his vote ; or (b) prints or distributes, or delivers, to any person on the clay of poll, or at any time during three days preceding the poll, anything being, or purporting to be, in imitation of any ballot paper, to be used at the poll, or having thereon names of candidates, together with any direction or indication as to how any person should vote, or in any way containing any such direction or indication; or (c), during hours in which the poll is being taken makes any public demonstration having reference to the poll by means of living figures, effigies, paintings, placards, or other like means ; or (»), obtains possession of any ballot paper other than the one given him by the returning officer for the purpose of recording his vote, or retains any ballot paper in his possession after leaving the polling booth. The rest of the Bill is mainly composed of machinery clauses.