VOTERS AND THE ALPHABET.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18370, 1 May 1925, Page 9

VOTERS AND THE ALPHABET.

TO THE EDITOR OT "THB titSS." Sir,—The alphabetical advantage which some candidates obtain at elections is again manifest. A list of twenty-seven names confronts the ciec tor, from which he or she has to select not more than lfi. He commences his solution from the top. By the time he is half way through his sixteen option* have been exorcised, consequently the men at the bottom are left rnit. That is probably why such well tried men as Messrs Williams and Wiusor. right at the bottom nt* the voting paper, were not elected. Intelligent and experienced voters do not make this mistake. S>ut there is a sufficient number of the other kind to make all th-.» difference. The alphabetical advantage i$ seen if yesterday's voting for Councillors is analysed:—

There is something more than a coincidence in this. If the alphabet U divided into two parts—A to U M to 55 —rwhieh refereuee to any electoral roll or business ledger wiU show.is a fair division, wo get:— First half .. 12 elected 3 rejected Second half .. 4 elected 9 rejected I have worked it hurriedly, but I think it is eorroot. And I think alphabetical advantage is even more pronounced under the proportional representation scheme. It is true that an alphabetical list enables a voter to find the names he wants moro easily, but this advantage is more than off-set by tho disadvantage mentioned. A search for the name wanted would induce more intelligent voting. Under our present law » man who wants to enter municipal politics would do well to choose hU pare Ma. Is there any remedy? A "Round Robin" voting paper would partly peet tho difficulty, but it would be too clupisy. A uctter way would t> e t° &- ave names' placed in position by let. l>t thero be, say, four drawings. That would mean the printing of four different voting papers with the positions of candidates, diffcreut on each. TfetM four varieties having been printed tfctT should then bo well shuffled. It rne*M moro proliminary work in preparing *w tho election, but it would place aU candidates on a reasonably fair footing.— Yours, etc., __ F.f. April 30th. P.S,—Jr the case of Wellington taking the letter M aa the halfway mark, twelve of tho successful candidate* wtr* in the first half of the alphabet and three in the second. In tho ease of Auckland, sixteen successful candidate* wero in the first half, and five in th« second.

Elected. Kejovtctl. A .. I B ..2 1 0 .. .. ;i — I> .. .. I 1 F ..I — G .. .. — 1 L .. 1 — Mc .. .. H I 0 .. - I P .. — I B .. .< — - S ..2 — T .. — 1 W .. •• - 2