BRITISH ELECTIONS

Southland Times, Issue 19771, 20 February 1923, Page 6

BRITISH ELECTIONS

INFANTS WHO VOTED. The British electoral law would appear to be fairly wide, inasmuch as a number of children of tender years were allowed to record their votes at the election on 16th November simply because their names appeared on the register of electors. Challenges appear to have been made in the case of a number of adults, but in two cases only does it appear that "infants ’ were challenged on the score of age, and the children whose names were on the roll duly recorded their opinions, or probably the opinions of their parents or guardians. Among those who so recorded a vote, says the London Daily Telegraph, was a boy aged five and a half years, who, accompanied by his mother, voted at Heywood. His name was on the register and his mother declared that he was the only person bearing that name at her address. Two children voted at Hull. One, Andrew Ford, the son of a docker, was only three years old. His vote is said to have been recorded for Commander Kenworthy, but his father’s vote was challenged and disallowed pending a ruling upon a technical objection. A 12-year-old boy on the register voted in South-West Hutt for the Rev. D. Pugh, the National Liberal candidate.

William Alfred Thompson, a six-year-old boy, of Albert road, Cleethorpes, voted in the Grimsby election at the Bursar street School, Cleethorpes. He drove up with his mother, and walked manfully into the polling booth, where he gave his number. A two-year-old boy was brought to the polling station to vote in Central Portsmouth, and as his name was on the register the vote was allowed. The youngest voter in the Peterborough Division of Northamptonshire, Reginald Wileman, aged 11, presented himself at the opening of the poll at Peterborough and placed the first ballot paper in the box. To signalise the event Master Wileman forwarded a decorated horseshoe to the Conservative candidate, Sir Leonard Brassey, who afterwards toured the division with the horseshoe attached to his car as a mascot.

At Canterbury, Constable Webb took his four-year-old son with him to the polling booth, but, although the child’s name was on the register ,his vote was disallowed. A boy of 12 years of age voted at Acton. Apparently all the "infants” who were allowed to vote were boys. At Newcastle a six-year-old boy whose name was on the register was not allowed to vote. The personation agent demanded an identity affidavit, and the presiding officers considered the lad was too young to be sworn.