PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12580, 29 September 1908, Page 4

PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

The Lyttelton Times expresses the hope that during the approaching election campaign, whether the Second Ballot Bill is passed into law or not, every candidate who recognises the need for some better system, of balloting will make a point of explaining to his audiences the simplicity ot preferential voting. "It seems to be the special weakness of Governments," the paper continues, "to imagine that the system by which they have mounted to power is the very best that can be devised. Mr Seddon objected to Mr McNab's Absolute Majority Bill, which embodied the principle of preferential voting, because he thought it would facilitate combinations between the Opposition and the dissatis-. fied sections of the Liberal party, and Sir. Joseph Ward, so far as we understand his attitude, is fearful lest any change from the system with which they are familiar should confuse the electors. The elector should have absolute freedom in awarding his vote, and the system that gives the widest latitude is the one that approaches most nearly to perfection. Sir Joseph Ward's fear that a considerable number of electors would not be able to indicate their preferences by marking numerals on their ballot papers, is a poor compliment to the education system of the Dominion, and is not well founded. The New Zealand electors certainly could do what the West Australian, electors have been doing during the past week or two, and probably could do it with fewer mistakes. The politicians will have to find some better reasons for discouraging a sensible reform before they can hope- to obtain the sympathy of the mass of the pe,ople."