THE ELECTORAL BILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1846, 21 May 1888, Page 3

THE ELECTORAL BILL.

tFBOM OUB CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, May 19 The Electoral Bill, which has just been distributed, provides that the Governor may grant a Representation Commission to divide the colony into not more than fifteen electoral districts. Each discriot shall comprise not more than eight, and not less than three, ordinary electoral districts. The town and suburbs m the cases of Auckland, Welliugton, Ohristchurch and Dunedin, shall go together and make one district There shall be residential votes similar to the one) now m force, but nobody shall vote unless he possesses an elector's right No elector's right shall bo issued between March and July m any year, or after the writs aro out. The rights shall be renewed every three years, and the ho'ders have to claim to get them renewed Any elector may object to tho names on the list. Candidates to bo nominated by pup-.-r, and tha nominations will be advertised. Polling is to close at six o'clock. Election to be carried ont oa ihs Hare system, as explained by Sir John Lubbock m his handbook on representation. An explanatory note attached to the Elector 1 Bill gives an outline rf the proposals of the Government. They state, inter alia, tbat the main alterations made m the existing law by the Bill are the following : — The dual franchise of the Maoris is abolished, and they are to be restricted m future to thair votes under the Maori I Representation Aot of 1867. I The general franchise is limited to residents, all property qnalific vtions being abolished . A mod ficat on of Hare's system is adopted for returning members at tha general elections, and for elections where more than one member ia to be elected, baaed upon Sir John Lubbock's plan of a single transferable vote ; and the adoption of a similar system is brought into use for determining elections to supply single vacancies. To admit of the'adoption of this Byatem of voting, with a3 little disturbance as po3Blb!e to the preßent arrangement of districts and the maintenance of the electoral rolls, the existing electoral districts of the oniony are to ba amalgamated. Each division will have Its separate electoral roll and polling places. The votes given at the poll will be obtained from all the divisions of the district, and the general result for the dlatrliit will thus be ascertained A eystem of electors' rights ia Introduced, whereby every peraon before hta name can bo placed on the electoral roil must appear personally before a Registrar, Depuy-Regiatrar, or Poatmaa'er, having power to act as a Deputy-Registrar, to mske a declaration of his qualification, and obtain a certificate of hio right to vote (called " elector's ri^ht "), which he muit exhibit et the polling booth before he can be given a ballot paper. The elector's right ia lv force only for three years, and has to be renewed A fee of one shilling is to be charged for every elector's right issued . The pnblio nomination of candidates is abolished, m favor of written nominations, signed by not les9 than ten electors, a deposit of £10 being no longer required Ballot papers are to have counterfoils, whereon is written a secret mark, indicating the person to whom the ballot, paper is given — the counterfoil remaining m the hands of the Returning Offioer. The ballot paper given to tbe voter bearß nothing on the back except the name of the district and the number of the paper, bo tbat the secrecy of the paper la perfected. Of the omigßiona made m the existing law, the principal is the nniform dosing of the polls throughout the colony at the same hoar, the ativanatage to be obtained by granting an extended hour within certain particular places not being deemed oommensorate with tho objection tn exceptional law m an election.