ELECTION NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2957, 3 November 1925, Page 3

ELECTION NOTES.

INFLUENCING VOTERS,

Following are the provisions of the law relating to distribution of handbills likely to influence voters at an election or licensing poll: Section 157 (b) of the Legislature Act, 1908, provides that every person is liable to a fine not exceeding £2O who at any election “prints or distributes or delivers to any person on the day of the poll, or at any time during the three days immediately preceding the poll, anything being or purporting to be in imitation • of any ballot paper to be used at the poll and having thereon the names of the candidates, together with any direction or indication as to how any person should vote, or in any way containing such direction or indication, or having thereon any matter likely to influence any vote.” Sections 34 and 35 (b) of the Licensing Act 1908, as regards licensing polls, provide for penalties of varying amounts on every person who “prints or distributes or delivers to any person on the day of the poll, or at any time during three days immediately preceding the poll anything being or purporting to be, in imitation of any voting paper to be used at the poll, or having thereon the issue to be decided at the poll, together with any directions or indications as to how any person should vote, or in any way containing any such direction or indication.”

It is not only the duty but it is to the advantage of every man and woman that they should take an interest in the government of the country and particularly in the class of member they send to Parliament. For this reason it is essential that they should carefully consider tlie grave .problems of the day freed from party or sectional bias.

The total number of votes cast in this electorate in 1914 was 5,408. The votes cast for each candidate were: Feild (Reform) 3,024, Robertson (Labour 2, 384, majority for Field, 040. In 1919 the total votes recorded were 5,179. The votes cast for each candidate were: Newman (Reform) 3,021, Hillier (Labour) 2,158: majority for Newman 863.

The boundaries of this electorate were changed prior to the 1919 election and the following districts were added: Ivoputaroa, Levin and Mangahao. These represent, about 1,200 voters. The figures for Levin at the 1919 election were: Field (Reform) 757, McKenzie (Labour) 454; Koputaroa: Field (Reform) 44 McKenzie (Labour) 39. Last election the voting resulted as follows: Linklater (Reform) 3648, Whibley (Labour) 2143, Flyger (Liberal) 986, a total of 6874 votes being recorded, 97 of which were rejected. Last election Levin gave the Reforifi candidate a majority of 361 over the Labour candidate. Labour expects to poll 75 per cent of the votes at Shannon and Mangahao. Should Levin vote Reform this year its majority should more than counter-balance the anticipated Labour vote at Mangahao, however. . The Labour majority m lox ton over Reform in 1914 was 174 and it fell to 84 in 1919. Last election the majority again fell, this time to 66. # ABSENT VOTERS. - Electors who are away from their own electorate on polling day do not require absent voters’ permits in order to record their vote. All they require to do is to go to any polling booth in any electorate and they can there cast their votes, which will be forwarded to the Re-turning-Officer in the electorate in which they.are enrolled.