ELECTORAL BILL INTRODUCED

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27395, 7 July 1954, Page 13

ELECTORAL BILL INTRODUCED

VACANCIES IN HOUSE DURING RECESS MR SPEAKER’S DUTIES CLARIFIED fWaw Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 6. Ambiguities said to exist in the law which prescribes the procedure to be followed when vacancies occur I in the House of Representatives during a recess are removed by an Electoral Amendment Bill introduced m the House of Representatives today. The bill makes it clear that Mr Speaker’s duty to cause a notice of miy vacancy to be published in the Gazette is to be carried out forthwith upon it appearing to him that the vacancy has occurred. Mr Speaker’s warrant directing the Clerk of toe Writs to issue a writ for a by-election is to be issued forthwith upon the publication of the notice in the Gazette. On recepit of the warrant the Clerk of the Writs is to issue the writ as soon as reasonably practicable, but in any case wi’.hin 21 days, instead of forthwith aS at present provided. There is a proviso that where it is considered necessary for special reasons the Governor-General in-Council mav authorise the Clerk of the Writs to postpone the issue of a writ to a specified day, not later than 42 days after the date of the receipt of Mr Speaker’s warrant by the Clerk of the Writs. There are also some miscellaneous provisions in the bill One of these clauses provides that persons who are entitled to vote oni making a declaration that they are qualified to be registered as electors may vote as absent voters- or postal voters. Under the existing law only registered electors may vote as absent voters or postal voters, and a person may vote on declaration only in the district in which he is qualified to be registered as an elector. An explanatory memorandum attached to the bill says

that this, had the effect of disfranchising qualified electors who are away from their own electrol districts and discover that their names have been purged from the roll when it is too late to apply for re-registra-tion, and also those who vote as absent or postal voters without knowing that their names have been purged from toe roll. The clause is designed to remedy this position. Another amendment makes it clear that persons who vote by declaration mu * n * declare that they are qualified to be registered as electors, but also must actually be qualified. Persons who have applied for registration and been informed by the Registrar of Electors that they have been registered but whose names have * ince been purged from the roll are also included among those entitled to vote on dedartion. The same will *PPy to Persons who voted at the last election for one district and have since become qualified to be registered in another district by reason of a change in the electoral boundaries. G - .*?• Mason (Opposition, w aitakere) said he had hoped there would have been a consolidation of the electoral law. He hoped some •toentwn. would be given to that. The Minister in charge of the Electoral . Department (Mr T. C. Webb) said there was need for a con-

solidation. ’-The Government had done pretty well with < nsolidations, and a good many of them were coming forward. Consideration would be given to an electoral consolidation. The bill was read a first time.