DISFRANCHISED ELECTORS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2293, 11 September 1908, Page 2

DISFRANCHISED ELECTORS

RESIDENTS ON LITTLE BARRIER

PREDICAMENT OF VOTERS,

[Fresh Association.]

AUCKLAND, Sept. 10. There are .at- least eight eligible electors in New Zealand who are virtually disfranchised. Tho reside oil Little Barrier Island, and have written to the Registrar-General of Electors at Devonport to know, before enrolling, whether they would bo allowed to vote by post, otherwise, tliey stato, there was no chance of them being able to vote at all. The Filzroy post office would be their nearest polling-booth, and it is 14 miles across the water, und even if they could get across by means of a boat all that were entitled to vote could not get ■away. Little Barrier Island is owned by the Government, and kept as a sanctuary l'or native birds. Under the regulations the State-employed inhabitants cannot all leave tlio island at once. The letter of Mr. Shakespeare, the head of tho island dwellers, was referred to the Elector-Gen-eral, who replied that there was no provision in the statute of voting by post. There is power to issue absentvoters’ permits, but from a perusal of the Act it is clear that- the Shakespeares are not in this category. Further difficulty confronts them in section 105, which lays down that a polling-booth cannot lie erected where there are not at least 15 voters. A firm of solicitors have taken the matter iij) and are corresponding with the view of ascertaining whether or not the islanders may be permitted to vote as seamen. However, it seems that they are completely blocked. They cannot leave the' island, a booth cantiot be placed on the island because there are not sufficient voters to permit tho establishment of one, and they cannot vote as seamen unless-the island is declared to he u snip. Whilst the rights of even eight, voters should in tho ordinary and wide sense be conserved, it must also be remembered that this, at first sight, small number is quite large enough to turn an election. At a previous contest for this (the Waitemata) very electorate, the >ieat was gained by a majority of one vote in the voting. Mr. John Bollard was returned m tho fight against Mr. Malcolm Nichol by the majority of a single Tote.