SYSTEM OF VOTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17528, 4 May 1925, Page 11

SYSTEM OF VOTING.

COMPARISON WITH 1923 ELECTION. i Mr J. M'Combs, M.P., who acted as scrutineer for the Labour Party during tho official recount, writes as follows regarding the present system, as compared with the proportional representation system, which was used at the 1923 election : It has been a dull, uninteresting count, and now that it is completed, its absolute accuracy could not be vouched for. The system furnishes no means of checking tho results. In a very close contest any party would be entirely justified in demanding a recount, and if there were three counts I venture to predict we would get three different results. You cannot check the results by the number of ballot papers on the table, because the number of votes on each ballot paper varies. It would require twenty or more scrutineers to watch all the ballot papers, check the calling and the ticking of the names at each table. As a consequence, the present system is noisy,, whereas counting under proportional representation is practically noiseless. Under proportional representation the first count must tally with the number of papers, and if a paper is misplaced the error will be discovered at the next count. The counters have only to watch one name on each ballot paper at a time, and every count is a check on the previous count, and every column of figures must tally with the total number of voting papers. Every count is interesting, whereas the present system is dull, monotonous and noisy. EXACT R^PRESENTATION. On the night of the previous election under proportional representation the first returns came in much earlier, and there were fewer mistakes, because the deputies had only to take cognisance of the first preference vote, and the number of votes tallied with tlie number of voting papers: and on the night of the election you knew exactly what would be the relative strength of each party on the new council, and you could predict with reasonable accuracy the personnel of the new council. Tlie “Lyttelton Times” and the “Star” did predict the results absolutely accurately. I Each party secured the exact representation it was entitled to, and as more than a quota of the people voted for Mr Winsor, lie was elected. This I time Mr Winsor lias been crushed out, and the city has lost a very valuable I councillor. I The old argument that proi portional representation favours the top of the ballot paper has been entirely exploded. Two years ago the Citizens’ Association, believing that the A’s, B’s and C’s had a tremendous advantage.. set out to find candidates whose names commenced with the first letters of the alphabet, and with a larger number of A’s, B’s and C’s on the ballot paper it was natural that a big proportion should be. elected on the council, but the real test is what proportion were elected from the top half of the ballot paper and wliat from the bottom half. Twl* years ago Messrs Williams and Winsor, who were right at the bottom of the ballot paper, were elected, whereas this year they were rejected. Mr Williams voted for the repeal of proportional representation What is the position this year, without proportional representation? Eleven have been elected from the top half of the ballot paper and only five from the bottom half. Two years ago it was ten and six. TIME OF COUNTING. As for the time taken in counting, most of the huge crowd of people who came to see the results declared on the night of the election had to go home without knowing what the position was, and personally I am not surprised that some of the ' eturns did not come in till 1.45 a.in., because up to sixteen votes had' tb tie " recorded for each ballot paper, whereas under proportional representation only one vote had to be recorded or. the night of the election. At the official count in more than one instance, it took two men from 9 a.m. till 9 pm. to count the papers

I - ■ from a, single large booth. You can imagine therefore how great was the achievement of the deputies and clerks in the large booths who did manage to get their returns in in time for the morning newspapers. In the official count this time, in order to facilitate the work in connection with the council election, all the work in connection with the Hospital and Harbour Board elections, except checking the rolls, has been postponed and all the workers have been concentrated on the council election and for the first time, so far as I know, the deputies and clerks had to work on Sunday. REPRESENTATION ON COUNCIL. On this occasion a larger number of persons have voted ; but there are only 27 names on the ballot-paper as against 31 on the previous occasion. Two years ago, under proportional representation there were 187 effective counts and 259 non-effective. The time taken was 29& hours for a staff j of 25. If there had only been 27 names I on the ballot-paper instead of 31, the counting would have ended at the 12Sth count, and it must also be remembered that most of the ineffective counts occur at the end. It is therefore highly probable that if there had j been 27 candidates instead of 31, tho I total time taken for counting would have been less than 20 hours. And noAV that the work has been completed, it is more or less accidental that the council is as representative as it is. Two years ago you could say, quite j definitely, that the council was thoroughly representative of the whole of the city. This year the average vote cast for the Citizens’ Association candidates was 10.300. and for Labour 9700. Assuming the same proportion right through, Mr Winsor would have been elected under proportional representation, and Labour would have secured seven representatives and the j Citizens’ Association eight. Two i years ago Labour was entitled to six representatives, and under proportional representation secured six. This j year Labour was entitled to seven, and j secured only five; but if this injustice j is any satisfaction to those who ro- | pealed proportional representation, I • would point orrt that, with sixteen canj didates in the field, and a turnover of | only 300 to 500 voters, Labour might | easily have secured the whole of the representation at the council table. In I conclusion, let me say that I think that the City Council is very fortunate indeed in having such a competent i and such an impartial returning I officer as Mr A. Freeman.