ELECTION DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 6

ELECTION DAY.

CHANGES IN THE POLLS ACT

HINTS FOR liURGESShS

THINCS THAT ARE NOT LECAL,

Several changes in tho Local Elcc- ■ tkrtis and I'olls Act of last session call for attention in view of tho fact. that next Wednesday's Mayors 1 election will bo tho first held in Wellington siiico tho amendments to tho Act were made. (Section 26 of 111© Act was amended by providing .that tho returning officer or deputy returning officer, after ascertaining the number of votes recorded for ea-csh candidate, shall announce tho result of tho voting at tlie polling-placo at which ho is in flharge. 11l some cases this has been done in tho past by posting iip results on tho doer of the booth. Now, however, it- is made mandatory to announce tho result at each pollingplace. Provision is also made for a scrutiny of tho roll, this scrutiny to bo undertaken-as soon after the close of ifco poll as practicable. Each eaadidatomay appoint si scrutineer, but the candidate lumself may not be present in the | capacity of a scrutineer. Tho marked i copies of the roll aro to be. computed i after tho poll. .

Detecting Dual Voters. Clause 2 of Section. 7 (which deals with dual voting) reads:™. "If, ou such comparison, it appears that the sa«o person ha 3 roeeived er voting paper at two or more polling-places, the' returning officer shall open the packets of voting papers used at the 'several poll-ing-places at wliteh such person appeals to. have received a - voting paper, and slagll select therefrom the voting papers on'which the number . corresponding to the name <rf tliat person appears, and 6hall disallow ■every voto appearing to havo been given hy.masns of tho voting papers so selected."

Pains and penalties, , Section IS says: "Every person is i liable to a fine not exceeding £20 who i at an «lection-~(a) in any way inter- . fer«s with an elector, either ift tho poM- , kg booth, or on lis way thereto, with j the intention of influencing hi® or artvising him as to his vote; or (is) prints or distributes of delivers to any. mson on tho day of the poll_ Of at any timo during the three days immediately pteceding tho poll anything bang, or purporting to be, am imitation of any voting paper to be used at. tho poll, and liaving therein the names of tho candidates, together with wy direction or indication as to how any person should vote or in any con* taming such direction or indication or having thereon atiy matter likely to influence any vote; or (c) during; the hours, in which the poll is being taken •makes any public demonstration haviftg reference to tho-poll, by moans of living figures, effigies, paintings, placards, or other liko means." This in effect means that all touting at- polling-bootli,doors, however' iniio* cwit in outward Bembkiice is absolutely prohibited.' Not even Cards are ta he distributed by interested parties. AM. tho glorious old bkfeings aiid trickeries of the "Blues" and.tho ''Buffs" are banished from the scene, and one must record, his ,or Iter vote in the placid, reflective, holiday-like atmosphere of polling day. Such is tho lawi Anyone rash efioiigh to publish or expos® any-untrue .defamatory statement about a- candidate • before the close of the poll is liable to a fine of £50 or to imorisfiijment for three months, ' A fine of £50 is the maximum penalty for any person found guilty of erasing official marks from voting papers, Tiio Dual Voter's fttsk. Hie person who finds entertainment in voting at; more than oho booth its the same election ?s singled out for special attention. Tlie Act says:—' '■Every jjerson is iiablo to two year's Imprisonment who (a) votes, or .offers to vote, more than anCe at the same election; £b) fraudulently . abstracts any voting paner that lias been pit in the ballot l>ox; (c> cr is guilty of bribery, personation, treating, or ttndue influence at any election.'*. .. ... . . ; It is further .decreed that overy-per-son is liable ■ to , a fine not exceeding £50 who wilfully stakes a falsa answer to a-ny > question which tho Returning Officer-is authorised to p-ttfc to him. Just for Pioil V/ork, During tho past two or three days a constant stream -of meii have waited oil the Chief Returning Officer in the hopes of securing, a position as deputyreturning officer or pott clerk on Wednesday next. Some of these are laesi who rafty he Said to bo chronically dut of work, aad who turn up at elections to break tha spell, so. to epoak* Others are ftiett in regular employment who manage to get off for the day by some means or other in order to pick up the ■ 30s. that is going for the day's trork in a polling-booth. Some are invariably: refused employment, but they iwcrt.hc-Ig-ss como up smiling in the hope that they may bo given the chance-of work-' ing for the city for at least one day in the year. Njjt nearly so many men are required for the work this year, as , there is no City .Council, Hospital ' Board, or Harbour Board election to bo taken into consideration. The issue is a straight-out one between three can*, didates, and only one paper is required [ bv each elector.

Last One-Year Mayoral Term, Tho present election in tlio last at which the ''successful candidate will bo returned for a one-rear terra. Tho latest amendment to the Municipal Corporations Act sets out that, from IMS, she- term of office for the Mayor of a borough shall bo two years, wliieti wilt make tlio election of Mayor and council contemporaneous.