ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 230, 26 October 1903, Page 4

ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT

BTJMMARY OF PROVISIONS. PSB PEBBB ASSOOIATIOH. Wellington, October 23. The short title of this Bill is the Electoral Act Amendment Act, 1903. It shall form patt of and be rand with the Electoral Act, 1902. The Governor may slao from time to time appoint some pereon to be deputy electoral officer, under the control of the cnief electoral officer to perform such general duties as he shall be called upon to perform. In case of the illnes?, absence, or temporary incapacity of the chief electoral official, he shall act in his name and behalf. While so acting he shall have and may exercise the powers, duties, and functions of the chief electoral officer. The Colonial Secretary shall from time to time when necessary fix a date for closing the roll in each district, after which no names shall be added to the roll other than persons whose claims for enrolment were sent to the regie tear before the date fixed. As Boon as practicable after closing the general roll a general roll shall be printed in every district with the names numbered consecutively of every person lawfully on the roll, such general roll to be signed by the chief electoral officer.

Every registrar of births and deaths shall, during the first 14 days of July, send to the electoral officer at Wellington a list of deaths of persons registered by him ended 30th June last past, stating each person registered, also before the Sth of eich month send a like list of the deaths of adult persons registered during the month. The chief officer shall cause euoh person to be removed from the roll. Where a person whose name is on the roll desires to vote, he shall produce a voting permit. Tne voter having marked the ballot paper, shall deposit it in the ballot box. At the close of the poll the ballot papers shall be counted and be kept separate, made into a separate paicel, and sealed. If any person not on the roll makes a declaration disclosing his qualification, and if the returning officer is satisfied he is entitled to vote, he shall place his name on a special roll and deliver him a ballot paper. If a person who obtains a ballot paper under this section makes a declaration that is false he is liable to one year's imprisonment. An elector may claim to vote outside his district. At the close of the poll such ballot papers shall be separated according to districts. Voters will indicate the candidate they desire to vote for by marking a cross in a square opposite the candidate's name. On the completion of the scrutiny the returning officer, in the presence of a justice, shall take the used ballot papers from the packets, and the absent voters' ballot papers received and, mixing them together, place them in a box. The ballot papers shall be drawn out of the box without being unfolded, each paper drawn being marked and stamped, beginning with number 1, so that no papers bear the same number. The justice shall sign a certificate stating the number of papers received. The certificate shall be carefully preserved for production when required. The returning officer shall deal with the ballot papers as follows; -Reject all papers on which anything is written or marked by the voter which can be identified as other than the writing by the deputy returning officer, and papers which do not indicate the candidate the elector desired to vote for; then arrange the ballot papers, placing separate those for the several candidates, I and ascertain the total placed on each i file. I If the returning officer finds a can-1 didate received a majority of votes, meaning a number of votes greater than one-half the votes recorded, exclusive of informal, he shall declare the candidate elected. If he finds no can-

didate received an absolute majority a second poll shall be taken, and the returning officer shall give notice thereof. The second poll shall be taken on I a day the returning officer shall fix, not | more than seven days from the date of notice, between the candidate who would have been entitled to be elected and the one who received the next highest votes, The second poll shall be taken under the same conditions as the previous poll, and the candidate receiving the greater number of votes shall be elected. Where a second poll 13 taken the time for the return of the writ shall be extended seven days, In addition to the events happening by which tbe seat of a member becomes vacant, it is declared that such seat shall become vacant if a member becomes a contractor or a civil servant as defined by section 15 of the same Act. Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding £2O who, having obtained a claim for enrolment signed by aay other person for the purpose of being delivered for enrolment, fails to do so, and thereby the claimant's name is not on the roll. Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding .£2O who interferes with an elector in a polling booth, or white on the way thereto, with the intention of influencing his vote, or who presents to any person on the day of the poll or three days preceding the poll anything in imitation of the ballot paper, having the names of the candidates, or who duricg the hours which tbe poll is open makes a public demonstration with reference to the poll by means of living figures, effigies, paintings, placards, or other means: or who obtains possession of a ballot paper other than the one given him by the returning officer for the puapoae of recording his vote; or who retains a ballot paper after leaving the booth.