RAGLAN ELECTORATE PETITION

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5300, 13 January 1947, Page 5

RAGLAN ELECTORATE PETITION

(Press Assn. —

nationa'l, candidate M.4NY IRREGULARITIES IN VOTING ALLEGED :

By Telegraph — Copyright.)

HAMILTON, Last Night. A special petition to the Electoral Court, which conrists of two judges of the ITupreme Court, asking that • he result of the Raglan election of last November be leversed, and that Mr. Hallyburton Johnstone be declared ruly elected as member of Parliament for the district, on ihe grounds of alleged irreguI irities in the voting, was fodged yesterday by Mr. Johnrtone, National Party candidate for the seat. On the night of the election, Mr. A. C. Baxter, Labour candidate, was ■ successful by a majority of 45 votes, • which an official recount reduced to a majority of 39. The National candidate later ap- 1 plied for a magisterial recount. Thisapplication has been granted, but, owing to the non-arrival of overseas votes, the recount will not now ;beheld until February. The closing date for the lodging of any petition is 28 days after the dedaration hy the returning officer of the election. This time limit expiresv on Monday, so Mr. Johnstone -was compelled to lodge his appeal with--out waiting for the result of the magisterial recount. The petition, which was handed to . the returning officer for the Raglan eleetorate, Mr. J. H. Halliday, asks that the Court order the scrutiny and recount of votes cast in ihe election; that the Court declare that Mr. Baxter is not duly elected and that Mr. ITallyburton Johnston^ be declared elected. The petition claims that the petitioner is lawfully elected, inasmuch as the majority of valid votes cast at the election were for him, and not Lr Mr. Baxter. Referring to allegations of voting irregularities, the petition states that certain persons enrolled as electors aud voted as such who were not entitled to be enrolled, not having resided in the eleetorate for the three months immediately preceding the da' e of their registration as electors. The petition also alleges that certain persons were illegally enrolled, or retained on the rolls, notwithstanding the fact that they had ceased to reside in the eleetorate for more •hau three months prior to the closing of rolls, and had resided irf other °lectorates in which they had qualificd as electoi's. It was further stated that, by reason of the chhnge of boundaries, other electors had ceased to reside in the Raglan eleetorate. Invalid Votes •Claim The petition also alleges that there were certain persons 011 the roll who had not resided in the Dominion for one year; that other persons voted who were under the age of 21 at the time of their enrolment; that Maoris voted in the European election, and hat there were some who voted who were not British subjects, either by birth or naturalisation in .New Zealand. The petition further alleges that a nurnber of valid votes cast for the petitioner were wrongly declared and counted as informal by the returning officer, and that a number of votes cast for Mr. Baxter were counted as valid votes by the' returning officer when they were, in fact, informal, and should have been rejeeted by him. There is also reference to absentee or postal votes, the petition alleging that certain of these votes were wrongly disallowed by the returning officer; that ceTtain persons voted in this category who were not entitled to such a vote, and that certain members of the forces voted as electors who were not qualified to vote in the Raglan eleetorate.