THE ELECTORAL BILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1847, 22 May 1888, Page 4

THE ELECTORAL BILL.

The new Electoral Bill which was circulated on Saturday is a bulky document, containing no less than 263 clauses, 19 schedules, and 3 appendices, and would require considerable study to master all its details. In the meantime, it may be remarked as one of its merits, that it brings within the compass of a single Statute the entire Electoral Law of the colony, repealing no less than fifteen Acts dealing with the [Representation of the people, the qualification and registration of electors, prevention of corrupt practices at elections, the regulation of elections, election petitions, etc. Of course the Acts now in operation are largely re-enacted, but there are many entirely novel and important departures from the existing system. As to some of these there will be an almost entire unanimity as to their desirableness, as for example the proposed abolition of the dual Maori vote, and the limitation k of the franchise to one qualification only —that of residence. The adoption of the system of electors' rights, as for years prevailing in Victoria, is also a very desirable change, providing as it does a better check against personation, and also for the automatic purging of the rolls as these have to be made up trienially upon the basis of the rights then unexp red, each right being only valid for three years from date of issue. We also entirely approve of the abolition 1 of the system of open nominations, show of hands, and declaration of poll, the Bill proposing instead of these a written nomination signed by ten electors and an advertised official announcement of the result. The hour for closing the poll is made uniform throughout the colony, and is proposed to be fixed at six o'clock. This is too early an hour for large centres of population) and we hope will be altered to seven. Wagering upon the result of an election is forbidden, so that there will be no more new hats lost and won. These are all, however, minor though desirable features ; the most debateable — because the most radical — changes proposed being those which relate to the formation of the Electoral Listricts and to the mode of voting. The proposal is that there shall be not more than fifteen Electoral Districts for the colony, each of these consisting of a group of the present existing districts, the grouping to be effected by the representation Commission, each of the cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin to form a single electorate, and each of the remaining electorates to compr se not less than three nor more than eight of the existing Electoral Districts. If the report of the Commission take effect during the existence of the present Parliament, then the person who immediately prior to the time- of taking effect thereof is a member of the House of Representatives for any electoral district is to be deemed to be a member for that one of the new electoral districts within which his original electorate is comprised. . There is very much to be said ia favor of this grouping system, but there are also obvious objections thereto, not the least of which is that | presently well-known public men will have great advantage over any possible new candidate, and it is not easy to predict whether upon trial, the advantages or disadvantages will preponderate. The mode of voting is that known as Hare's system with modifications, ench elector marking against tho candidates' names, figures indicating the order of his pro' ference, and the result being made up on the system explained very clearly in the appendices to tho Bill. There is no doubt, whatever, that a House elected upon this plan would he a much, truer reflex of the actual judgment of tbe electors as expressed by their votes than one elected under the present system and though at first there would be considerable prejudice to overcome, yet in the end we think the advantage of the system would become clearly apparent. Such a system has been in operation in Denmark for many years with the best results, but has not as vat been adopted in any British community, though it will be remembered that Sir Robert Stout suggested its. adoption some years ago in connection with a proposal for the amalgamation of the city electorates. On the whole the Bill appears (0 have been well drawn, and compiled, and a very interesting discussion of its proposals may certainly be looked for.