THE NEW BALLOT PAPER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12616, 20 November 1911, Page 3

THE NEW BALLOT PAPER.

The jjew improved form of voting impers ;t6; he used at, tlie coming elections promiaes to be much less cumbroutij ..^xore explicit and simple than the old^one, to effect a great saving oi time fair rounds and to render the secrecy of the poll more inviolable still. II was used for the first time at the byelectiori; at Christchursh, when it was reported ..-Non m the" most favorable terms. , The hew. form was explained by Mr'F. W.M ansfield (Chief Electoral Officer). ; The first point about it is that it ensures the secrecy of the balJot by omitting the elector's roll number from the back of me;. ballot paper: By doing away with, the electors' roll number on. thef^ack: of. the ballot ]>aper the secrecy of the ballot is maintained, as the identity of the voter cannot be ascertained from the .ballot without reference to the counterfoil, and the counterfoils are all sealed up after the closing of the polf before the ballot box ia opened;. The second point is the use of a counterfoil for recording the electors' roll number, and a consecutive number, ... which is repeated upon- the corresponding ballot paper. : The roll number ;ori the countei'fdil is' necessary m order that cases of apparent duplicate voting pi* personation may be readily investigated. The consecutive number upon both the counterfoil and ballot, papers is required m tracing a ballot paper when the returning officer is satisfied beyond doubt that a case of duplicate voting .or personation has occurred. The tracing of duplicate or plural voting involves oruy the handling of the ■ counterfoils from the particular booths where the votes were ,recordedi and not the ballot papers themselves* as tinder the present system. The third point is the consecutive numbering ,'of the "ballot ' paper and counterfoil. This register." the exact number of ballot papers issued, thereby providing a constant check upon the number of voters who have recorded their votes;; The stamping of the! official murk across the perforation (the fourth point), co as to leave an imprint on l>oth the counterfoil and the Track of. the ballot paper, is a. reliable safeguard against "Bootm*. ballot papers that m'wrht be surreptitiously introduced into the ballot box. • •