EXPLANATION OF THE PROCEDURE.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13455, 29 April 1914, Page 6

EXPLANATION OF THE PROCEDURE.

We are indebted to Mr. G. A. Edmonds, Town Clerk, for the following OKplanation of the: procedure to be followed at the Mayoral and harbour loan polls to-day:— % The Mayoral election has to take place on the List Wednesday in April, that being the date fixed by the Municipal Corporations Act, and the poll for the harbour loan is being taken on tne same day, so far as the city is concerned, at the same booth, but the two polls are entirely separate the one trom the other. Although voting for both the Mayor and the loan will be taken in the same booths, separate voting papers, ballot boxes, and screens will be provided, each of the polk will be separately conducted, and be in charge of a separate deputy returning officer, and voters should be careful after having received and marked their voting papers to put them into the right ballot boxes. If this is not done, a great deal of confusion will be the result when the counting takes place after the close of the polls. As there will bo 'only two ballot boxes in each booth, and they will be marked; "Mayor" and "Harlxmr Loan" respectively it will be seen that the exercise of ordinary care is all that is needed in order to prevent an accident by the 'dropping of the voting paper into the wrong box. Under the Municipal Corporations !Act the poll for the election of Mayor has to be kept open from 9 a.m. to .7 p.m., and voters are entitled to record their votes at any time between those feours. The Local Bodies Loans Act, however, provides that the poll in respect of the harbour loan shall close at 6 p.m., so that that poll-will be closed an hour before the close of the poll for Mayor. This also is a point which should be borne in mind, as it will affect those people who leave their voting until after 6 o'clock, and who, .whilst desirous of voting in respect of the loan, will find on arriving at" the booth that they are too late to do«so, although in time to vote for Mayor. The> result will, in that case, be that their votes in respect of the loan will be lost.

With regard to the question as to v/ho are entitled to vote at the poll for Mayor and the loan. All persons whose names are on the District Electors' 801 l for the city, whether their qualification is that of ratepayer; freeholder, or "residential," are entitled to vote for Mayor. For the loan, however, a special roll has been compiled, which consists of ratepayers, whose names appear on the valuation rolls of the respective districts comprised within the harbour district, and also of persons possessing the freehold qualification, v/hc have claimed to have their names pfaced upon such rolls. Only persons possessing one or other of these qualifications are entitled to vote on a loan proposal, "residential" being expressly debarred therefrom by Statute. '

Wives are entitled to vote at both polls—in right of their husbands, and Wee versa, provided that the names of both husband and wife appear upon the rolls. If the name of the husband or wife only, as the case may be, appears upon the rolls, then only the person whose name so appears can vote. No person other than those whose names actually appear on the rolls have any right to vote. So far as the roll which will be used for the Mayoral election is concerned, all those who recorded their votes at the last election will be able to do so again on this occasion. No names have been removed, but a large number of additional names, mostly of^ persons who have since acquired a rating qualification, have been added.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the name of every person having a right to vote has been entered on the roll, but the Town Clerk will be pleased to give every information and to assist in every way possible any_ who, by having omitted to make a claim for oarolment, find themselves in consequence temporarily disfranchised. It should be clearly -understood that where a person is married and his name appears on the roll, the name of his wife, unless personally known to the Town Clerk, cannot be added unless she makes an application by filling up and signing a form of-claim, which may be obtained free at his office. The same remark applies in the case of a married woman whose name appears on the roll. If her husband wishes to be enrolled he also must make his claim in the manner indicated.

The result of the polling for Mayor wtil be announced at each booth as soon as the votes recorded thereat have been counted. The returning officer will personally announce the total number of votes recorded for each candidate from tho balcony of the Municipal Buildings afc about 'S^S this evening. As, however, under the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Act, 1913, it is now necessary that a scrutiny of the votes taken at local elections shall be made, jthe result will not be. definitely known until after such scrutiny, probably tomorrow. .