THE BALLOT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1409, 9 April 1912, Page 6

THE BALLOT.

Sir,—As wo aro likely to have another election, as "Joe" says, within twelve months, I h-ivo reason for drawing attention to the manner in which tho polling is conducted, in at least one dry district, and not in Ashburton cither. Having voted at the first election by ballot iir Australasia where the Act was created,' I claim to have some knowledge, of the subject upon which I ask your indulgence. I refer especially to the 'want, of secrecy of the ballot, and generally to the wav in which the elections nre conducted. On entering the polling booth wo find two poll clerks, one for tho "suffrage," the other for the "Liceaso or No-Licenso" racket. I was given a paper by each of these functionaries, numbered, say, "25," corresponding with the.- number on tho electoral roll, with instructions to mark my pleasure as to candidate or License on tho papers, fold them up and place them in tho balbt-box. V. : hen the poil closes, those two poll clerks become imtomatically returning officers, and proceed to open the ballot-box and count the rotes. Upon opening each paper, it is of necessity seen that the number corresponds with that on the roll, therefore these (wo moil aro nt once informed as t» what candidate the elector voted for. and al-u as to License or .Xo-l.ic/'iiso. Where, then, comes the secrecy intended by the author of tho Act, who, I believe, is still alive? It will, nf course, be said that these (wo functionaries are sworn to s"crecv. llubbish! If two buaiaosi men "> » isrnall communis of, sas, fid ot ZQ

voters, and (loins business in some form or other with tho majority, knew how every man and woman vut<>d, where 011 cartii is tin; secre:y? I'urllipr, one? of these two oflieials—a .1.1'., I).v (lie waywas tho standing chairman for 0110 of (no cnniliiliites, and always led tho cheers at his meetings—consequently 11.most, impartial returning oilicer! It woiil 1, of course, he useless to draw the attention of the present powers to this state of affairs. The winning candidates might, perchance, belong to their crowd, and complainants might ho designated as "liars,' "skunks, etc., etc., ..ml pet. no remedy. It may, however, be well for UlO electors of this cotmtrv to be awaro ihat their vote is moro liable in some—if not all—electorates, to ho public property than lcept within tho intentions cf tho original Fallot Act, 1858, which is inviolate in the other colonies, where it is impossible for poll clerks or returning officers to know how an elector votes.—l am, etc., AX ELECTOR. March 28.