REVISING THE ROLLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17267, 17 September 1919, Page 11

REVISING THE ROLLS.

** CANVASS BY POST OFFtCE. DUTIES OF THE ELECTOR. IMPROVEMENTS IX SYSTEM. In view of the coming genera! election, the work of enrolling voters is steadih proceeding. The main rolls for all th» electorates have been printed, am' a lireof Government officials are now compiling the supplementary rolls. Following the ordinary act ice the names of non-voters at the last election.in 1914 were struck off the roll*, but I many persons secured re-enrolment for the licensing poll last April, for which the rolls were specially made up. As a re suit of this revision, and the activities of both parties in connection with th ■ licensing poll, in lodging objections to names of "doubtful"" or --one voters, the lists are now regarded as being more than usually complete and accurate. Failure to vote at the licensing poll last April was not followed by the deletion of the names of non-voters," a? is the sequel to a general election. Enrolling New Voters. There are, however, indications that substantial lists of new voters will be forthcoming. A curious feature of a general election is the filing of claims for the franchise by thousands of residents of many years' standing, both in the cities and country, who from ignorance, indifference, or oversight, have previously neglected to register. In addition, there are very many others who have come of age in the meantime, or being newcomers to the Dominion have completed the necessary one year of residence. On this occasion, however, the Postal Department is being made the medium of an official campaign for extending the franchise to all "eligible individuals. Letter-carriers in the cities and towns and wherever mails are delivered, are being employed in a house-to-house canvas, and are authorised to witness signatures, while in the rural districts the local postmasters or postmistresses have been instructed to take steps to obtain enrolments. Changes of Address. Both the letter-carriers and rural postal officials are also called up in to report cases of persons who have left the addresses registered on the main rolls and have neglected to notify the registrars of their change of address. In such cases the registrars will send by registered post to the address appearing on the mjin roll a notice of objection to the retention of the name on th<; roll, and failing an appeal or satisfactory reply within 10 days, the name will be purged "from the roll. It therefore becomes more imperative than usual for changes of address to.be for ■warded to the registrar, otherwise loss of voting power is likely to be discovered when polling day arrives. Removal from one electorate to another, it should also be noted, necessi tates & new claim for enrolment on receipt of which the registrar of the district to which the voter has moved, causes the name to be struck off the roll on which it previously appeared. In the case of alterations of boundaries of electorates, names, where necessary, have been automatically transferred, and the persons affected have bean notified. To Mr. J. Hislop, the chief electoral officer of tlie Dominion, is due the credit for the improved facilities for enrolling voters. In addition, central electoral bureaux have been opened in Auckland, Wellington, Ohrisichurch, and Dunedin. In Auckland, Mr. J. Hay, formerly postmaster of Devonport, is the official in authority. V©. rs may be enrolled at these bureaux. A Voter's Qualification. For the benefit of the uninitiated it may be explained that any person of British birth or a naturalised subject. 21 years of age or over, who has resided within New Zealand for 12 months, and within the district for which enrolment is claimed for one month immediately preceding the application, is entitled to be registered as a voter. • Despite all precautions names of voters are liable by error not to be carried forward from an old to a new roll, and for , this reason it is advisable that the main rolls, which are deposited for inspection in various public places, should be scanned so that any omissions can ■be i rectified in the supplementary rolls. : So far as at present arranged there will ; be no special military voting as at the ' last licensing poll, and accordingly men i engaged in military duties in the Do • minion should enrol in the districts in ; which they are stationed, transferring from any other district if they are al- ) ready enrolled.