COUNTY COUNCIL VOTING.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 96, 16 November 1878, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCIL VOTING.

(TO THE EDITOR OE THE TEMDKA LEADER) Sir, —The Returning Officer for the Teimtka Rifling surely made a mistake in throwing out four of the Teinnka voting papem as invalid. He tol lus at the declaration of the poll that he threw them out because they, being one man’s papers, were differently marked. I doubt very much whether the Returning Officer has any right to subject papers to such a scrutiny as must be ne cssary to discover that such a difference in marking had been made. There was not much scrutiny required in this case though, as the officer “ heard outside ’’ that a certain voter had marked his papers diffixvntly. Admitted that the elector marked his papers differently, what had the Returning Officer to do with that ] The only line of the nature of instructions bearing upon t' e point stated that a paper would be invalid if more than two panics were left nncancelled. There is nothing in the law nor in the schedules attached forbid- • ding any person changing his mind as to whom he shall vote for after making a first, or a second, or a third paper. There is no great harm done by the mistake in uffhis case, so it is not worth making a fuss ‘about, but cases might easily occur wherein a similar mistake would alter the positions of candidates. A R turning Officer, should be excessively careful not to disfranchise electors by making mistakes of so absurd a character. I am, &e., Elector.