PROSECUTED FOR VOTING TWICE

Chronicle (Levin), 12 December 1946, Page 5

PROSECUTED FOR VOTING TWICE

♦ -Press Assoeiation

By Telegraph-

NEW PLYAIOUTH, Dec. 11. Elsie Alay Richanlson, a widow, aged 45 years, of Young Street, New Ply niouth, who in a statemeut to tlie jiolicesaid that she - had votod at every general election since she became of age, was tliis morning coinmitted for sontence at the next sitting of the Su- , prenie Court at New Plymouth for the! oll'enee of personation during tlie' general elections 011 Noveniber 27. Accused, who pleaded guilty, -was allowed bail in iier own recognisanco of £100 conditional upon lier reporling to the jiolice once a week. Leslie William 'Louisson, returning ofticer, told the Court that during a scrutinv of the roll used his attention was drawn to the fact that aceused had apparentlv voted both at St. Aubyn Street Alethodist hall and also at the Courthouse. He sent Alrs. Richardson a telegram asking her to come to see liirn and as the result of a conversation with her he int'ormed the lnspector of Police. He produced the roll showing that accused had been ruled out as liaving voted at St. Aubyn Street Alethodist hall and also a niarked roll showing that accused had been ruled out as liaving received a baJlot paper ■at tlie Courthouse. He also produced counterfoils of the ballot papers issued at both booths. Mr. Louisson stated that accused was very frank and assisted him in every way to clear the mat ter up. She did not at lirst appear to realise the seriousness of the position. The ballot papers produced showed that votes had actuall$ been cast. I11 reply to ATr. Janiieson, counsel for accused, Alr. Louisson said that when accused came and saw lii'm he was not at all suspicious of nialpractice. "I asked her," he said, "where she voted and she replied: 'I voted twi.ee'. When asked for tlie reason sho told me in these words: 'I did not know it was wrong to vote twicc'. " Both votes were disallowed as required by law. Tn addition to the case of dual voting heard today, there had beon two other instances of dual voting where two very elderly persons voted by postal vote some davs prior to the election and again as ordinary vof.ee s on election day. Both cases had been investigated by the Returning Officer who recommended, owing to the advanced senility of the electors c.oncerned, that no prosecution should be instituted.