ELECTORAL LAW

Southland Times, Issue 19821, 18 March 1926, Page 7

ELECTORAL LAW

VOTING FACILITIES SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS VOTES FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, Mar. 17. In reply to a question, the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates), informed a Post reporter to-day that the possibility of certain amendments being made in the electoral law was at present receiving consideration. Under the law as it stands at present there are no facilities for taking the votes of people who are in hospital or who are bedridden at the time of the election. The position is that a person may be registered as an elector and be in every way qualified to vote, but unless he is able to go to the polling booth no vote can be taken or recorded. The elector through no fault of his own is thus disfranchised. Various suggestions for overcoming this difficulty have been made in the past, including proposals that electoral officers should be permitted to enter hospitals to afford patients an opportunity of casting their votes. An objection has been made by medical practitioners to the idea of taking votes in hospitals on the ground that such a practice might in certain cases be inimical to the health of the patients. The position is being investigated by the Government with a view of seeing whether some means of taking the votes of sick people cannot be found. Mr Coates states to-day that the possibility of a postal ballot being provided in such circumstances was being looked into. It is understood also that as a result of two recent election petitions it may be found necessary to make certain alterations to electoral legislation including amongst other things the inclusion of some provision regarding the assessment of costs inproceedings before an election Court. Some members of the Legislature hold the view that it is not strictly fair that an unsuccessful party should be mulcted in heavy costs by an election Court especially where he has not initiated proceedings.