THE GENERAL ELECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21511, 7 December 1931, Page 8

THE GENERAL ELECTION

VOTES STILL TO BE COUNTED ABSENTEE, SEAMEN’S, AND POSTAL

ELECTION COUNTS

most electorates, of course, where the winning candidate has a clear majority, the decision on informal votes is not important, but where the polling is as close as it was in Dunedin Central this decision may make all the difference between election and rejection, As a rule, the absentee and postal votes are not counted until after the official count of ordinary votes. When the count is finished the returning officer makes his declaration that one of the candidates has been elected. The ballot papers are then placed in parcels, which are sealed and delivered to _ the clerk of the House of Representatives. These parcels are stored for a year unopened, unless a special order is made, and at the end of that period they are burnt unopened in tho presence of the clerk of the House of Representatives and the clerk of the writs.

' PROCEDURE EXPLAINED. It is not expected that the official counts of votes polled in the Dunedin and Chalmers electorates ■will be finished before to-morrow night, and until then the doubtful seats —Dunedin Central and Chalmers —will remain in doubt. Until the scrutiny of the rolls is finished the count of ordinary,' absentee, postal, and seamen’s votes cannot be started. On election day the count in each booth is made by the deputy returning officer, who puts on one side all the votes which he considers informal. The_ checking or scrutiny of the rolls is carried out after the election by the returning officer to ensure that no elector has voted at more than one booth. Checking is, of course, a long procedure. If it is found that_ an elector has voted more than once, by visiting more than one both or by voting by post as well as in a booth, all his votes are cancelled and he is prosecuted. When the scrutiny is finished, the returning officer begins the official count of all ordinary, absentee, postal, of seamen’s. Every ballot paper in this count is stamped with a number after it has been dealt with. EXAMINATION OF INFORMAL VOTES. The returning officer then turns his attention to the votes which his deputies have declared informal. He examines the irregularities on each paper, and has power to allow votes which, in his opinion, show clearly the intentions of the electors. Those to whom voting is a very easy and straight-forward task would be surprised at gome of the irregularities m marking which are brought before the returning officer. The most common cases are those in which all or none of the names are crossed out, or in which the favoured candidate is marked with a cross. But there are many Other ways of marking a paper irregularly, and each one has to be considered on its merits. The

Should a recount be ordered because of some irregularity, the iparcels of ballot papers are returned to the electorate, and the new count is made in the presence of a magistrate, who has the same authority to deal with informal votes as a returning officer. Unless some glaring error has been made both in the booth count and in the official count, the magistrate conducting the recount may be expected to change the issue only by his interpretation of the informal votes. He may discard some of the informal votes brought into the total count by the returning officer, or, on tho other hand, he may allow some of the informal votes which the returning officer disallowed. THE NELSON SEAT MR ATMORE’S LEAD. (Per United Press Association.) NELSON, December 5. The counting of the 132 postal votes increased Mr Atmore’s lead over Mr Everett to 83. There are still 403 absentee and 15 seamen’s, votes uncounted.

The absentee, postal, and seamen’s votes still to be counted are shown in the following table, which also shows the present majority of the leading candidate:— Electorate. Absentee. Postal. Seamen. Total. Candidate. Present majority Auckland Central .. 382 39 49 470 Parry .. 3561 Auckland East 474 97 25 590 Schramm 1559 Auckland Suburbs .. 472 78 6 550 Mason .. 1119 Auckland West 408 140 35 583 Savage .. 4280 Avon 458 76 2 536 Sullivan 3007 Awarua 318 44 - 1 363 Perrelle 1968 Bay of Islands 365 49 1 415 ■Rushworth 1157 Buller 377 75 4 456 Holland 3309 Central Otago .. .. 421 37 — 458 Bodkin 2320 Chamlers • 460 80 15 555 Ansel 1 183 Christchurch East .. 397 . 72 3 472‘ Armstrong 3286 Christchurch North 653 123 2 778 Holland 1882 Christchurch South 558 129 1 088 Howard 2716 Clutha 339 100 . 430 M'Skimming 1789 Dunedin Central .. 543 147 22 623 Statham 91 Dunedjn North 531. 165 26 722 Munro .. 590 Dunedin South 556 175 8 739 Jones .. 3515 Dunedin West 221 137 6 364 Stewart 720 Eden .. .. .. 612 - 80 20 712 Stallworthy 1127 Egmont 267 01 — 328 Wilkinson 1215 Franklin 317 47 — 364 Massey .. 2345 Gisborne 397 186 — 583 Coleman 234 Grey Lynn £48 84 34 366 Lee 3179 Hamilton 624 82 1 707 Young .. 3072 Hauraki 392 71 1 464 Massey .. 2685 Hawke’s Bay .. 526' 134 ' 760 Campbell 2149 Hurunui 469 42 — 511 Forbes .. 3902 Hutt 788 240 8 1036 Nash 2728 Invercargill .. . . 807 241 — 1048 Hargest 350 Kaiapoi 420 46 — 466 Hawke . . 1T60 Kaipara .. .. 355 46 1 402 Coates .. 2013 Lyttelton 460 96 28 584 M'Combs 105 Manawatu .. .. 297 43 — 340 Linklater 2146 Manukau .. .. 561 130 8 699 Jordan .. 3082 Marsde’n 365 39 2 406 Murdoch 2771 Masterton .. .. 336 85 — 421 Sykes .. 1812 Mataura .. .. .. 268 60 328 M'Dougall 868 Mid-Canterbury 487 . 111 — 598 Connolly 91 Motueka 286 52 — 338 Black 410 Napier 551 150 1 702 Barnard 1485 Nelson 403 132 15 550 Atmore 78 New Plymouth 406 141 1 548 Smith .. 3277 Oamaru — Details missing. 624 Macpherson 995 Otaki 463 20 4 487 Field .i. 1229 Palmerston .. .. 566 . 165 1 732 Nash 2018 Parnell 587 107 9 703 Endean 4562 Patea 342 110 452' ' Dickie .. 3234 Raglan 317 29 ' 346 Reid .'. 816 Raneitikei 369 - 79 — 448 Stuart .. 114 Riccarton — Not available. Roskill .. .. .. 583 83 , 666 Kyle Richards 550 173 Rotorua 616 58 — 574 Clinkard 8 Stratford 285 109 < — 394 Poison .. 1414 x Tauranga .. 420 40 — 460 Macmillan 591 288 91 — 379 Burnett 1194 Thames 401 124 • 525 Samuel 385 Timaru .. .. . . 671 151 3 825 Carr 739 406 87 — 493 Lye 875 Waimarino .. .. 403 62 — 405 Langstone 548 Waipawa 253 150 — 403 Jull 372 Wairarapa 375 112 — 487 M‘Leod 622 Wairau .. .. .. 414 157 2 537 Healy .. 1248 406 ' 87 — 493 Bitchener 873 636 100 33 769 Harris .. 2130 499 50 . 549 Hamilton 2597 300 , 150 — 450 Yeitch .. 534 Wellington Central 308 75 119 432 Fraser . . 2307 Wellington East .. 700 114 44 858 Semple .. 688 Wellington North . . 637 91 160 888 Chapman . 991 Wellington South .. 511 189 21 721 M'Keen • • 2 <81 Wellington Suburbs 670 106 53 829 Wright .. *2313 Westland .. • • 298 166 — 464 O’Brien 1031