NEW POSTAL VOTING REGULATIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 22 October 1949, Page 5

NEW POSTAL VOTING REGULATIONS

WELLINGTON, Oct. 21. New postal voting regulations passed today by the Executive Council make a few alterations in the posta1 voting system for the coming General Election, said the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) tonight. As formerly postal votes will be issued to persons who through illness or various other reasons cannot go to the polling booth to vote on election day. The period allowed for voting is unchanged. A vote may be obtained from a returning officer any time after the issue of a writ for the election or from a polling booth on election day. Oompleted voting papers must he back in the hands of the returning officer or deposited at the booth before the poll closes on election day. j Speciai provision is made in the new reguiations for voting by patients in hospitals or by inmates of similar institutions. There is authority for electorai offic-ers accompanied by approved witnesses to visit hospitals and provide postal votes to patients. Collectors of Customs now become persons authorised to issue postal votes and will act in respect of seamen applying to vote. Other alterations inelude a simpler form of declaration by a person voting and better facilities for witnessing an elector's declaration if he is voting while tempdrarily overseas. Otherwise the procedure for postal voting by persons overseas remains unehanged. In the new postal voting regulations just issued the procedure for voting b }- electors temporarily absent abroad remains practically the same as before. Any such elector who desires to vote at the General Election on November 3U must make an application in writing fo; voting papers to be sent to him. This application should be made direct to the returning officer in New Zealand foi his electorate. Any such application may be made at any time now. As soon as the writ is issued the returning officer will post to the voter by air mai! the papers he requires to record his postal vote. These papers eonsist of the prescribed declaration to be made by the voters, voting papers both( for the electorai and lieensing issues, and tne envelopes in which they are to be enclosed. Direetions as to completing the papers are printed on the declaration forms. I The declaration needs to be witnessed and a list of the classes of people whc may witness is printed on the declara tion forms. They are eligible to witness even though they live outside New Zealand. When the voter has eompleted tht J papers he must himself return them promptly to the returning officer in New Zealand. They should reach the returning officer before the close of the poi / at 7 p.m. on November 30, otherwise the vote is not counted. This means that I in practically every case in will be neI cessary for the voter to return the pa pers to the returning officer by air mai!