ELECTORAL RIGHTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 35, 5 November 1919, Page 5

ELECTORAL RIGHTS

CHANGES IN THE LAW

VOTES OF SOLDIERS AT SEA

The Expeditionary I'orccs Voting Bill has for-a considerable lime 'been upon the Order Paper of the I.eg!slalivo Council, awaiting Win introduction of important amendments. These amendments, which, by the. way, havo so widened the. scope of the Bill that the title has been changed, were adopted by tho Council upon tho recommittal of (lie Bill yesterday morning. The Bill was read a third time, and passed with the following title:—"Expeditionary Forces Voting and Electoral Rights, Amendment BiU." The incisure gives soldiers at-sen the right to vote on the licensing poll. In moving the recommittal of the Bill. Sir Francis Bell said the Council would remember that the original Bill as it hnil come from the House made provision for recently-returned soldiers to vote up to tho day of the pofl, whether they were upon a roll or not. That was necessary because the transports might arrive up to the day of tho poll, long after the. closing of tho wr'its. The Bill had stopped there. It was thought, then, and it. was still thought, that it: was impossible prop:>rly to obtain the votes of

r.bsent. soldiers upon tho question of who should bo elected to represent their district. . . . But the proposal! now was that in order to avoid the trouble and misrepresentation that had occurred aI: the special licensing poll, the Government should extend to every soldier, whether recently returned or not, who w.ns registered as an elector, the right to vote, up to the dav of the poll. And the proposal was, further, that every soldier might vote as if he had an absent voter's permit, the fact being that; soldiers wore registered, in many eases, in districts whnre Ihey had Inn;? ceased tn reside. There was a difference in that respect between them and the ordinary o'ector. The original Bill had been so mod'nod as to n've to every soldier the right that had been previously iimitfd to recently-returned soldiers. Tt. was now proposed to allow sold'ers who were absent from New Zealand to vote upon 'tho licensing poll. The difficulties that made it practically impossible to take the votes of such soldiers for electoral districts did not apply to the I'censing poll. The Leader of the Council next proceeded to explain some general provisions as to electoral rights which it was proposed to incorporate in the Bid as further amendments. . In the general clauses alluded to the clashes of persons entitled to vote after making declaration, though not registered as electors, are defined. They comprise: (a) Any person' whose name is ruled out on any certified copy of the roll supplied to the returning officer pursuftiit'to section 24 of thd Legislature Amendment Act, 1910, or (b) any person who voted as a registered elector at the last preccd ; ng ei'ection for the district in which his place of residence is situated, and whose name does not appear on the K>U for the district, or (c) any person who, having applied for enrolment as an elector, and having been informed by tho Registrar that he has been enrolled, has not been so enrolled. .Any person guilty of making a false declaration : a rendered liable to a fine of ,£SO. It is provided in another clause that residents of New Zealand who havo been abroad during tho war and have had their return delayed by war conditions, or hiave been engaged in war work, shall bo entitled to be registered' as electors though they may not bo able to claim tho period of residence that would otherwise be necessary to qualify them as electors. Persons resident on a hulk are for electoral.purposes deemed to be resident in any district contiguous In tho harbour in. which their hulk is permanentlv located. Bv an amendment of Motion 40 of the Legislature Act, 1010 (relating to the issue of voting permits) it is provided that absent voters' permits and electors' rights may be issued at any time before the day of the poll. Section 87, paragraph, (a), of the Legislature Act, WOS, h amended to the following effect: —For the purpose of acquiring a qualification as an elector, every seaman shall bo deemed to reside in New Zeanfnd during the time he is engaged in any ship trading exclusively within the territorial waters of New Zealand, or :'n any ship trading to New Zealand ports at'intervals of not mora than three months., The amendments made by the Council have yet tn be considered by the House of Representatives.