'errors In Roll’ (Press, 6 October 1975)
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Summary: 'errors In Roll’ (Press, 6 October 1975)
An investigation has been launched into significant discrepancies in the electoral roll for the Raglan electorate, as flagged by National Party officials. They have discovered numerous errors and duplications that could allow some individuals to cast multiple votes in the upcoming General Election. Mr P. M. Hamilton, the Raglan electorate chairman for the National Party, described the electoral roll as the worst he has ever encountered, with early reviews revealing about three apparent errors for every page. Miss Marilyn Waring, the National Party's candidate for Raglan, has urged the public to verify their enrolments to help rectify the duplicated voter numbers before the supplementary roll closes later in October 1975. She emphasised that without public intervention, many duplications could remain unaddressed, resulting in an inaccurate electoral roll. Miss Waring noted that there is no evidence suggesting the discrepancies, referred to as "phantom voters," were intentionally created. However, initial audits uncovered cases where individuals' names appeared multiple times on the roll with minor variations in spelling or addresses. Some names were duplicated on the same page of the roll but listed in separate columns. There were instances where the same individual had one listing under an old address and another under a new one, as well as names of individuals no longer residing in the district. Through accidental checks on family listings, it was revealed that one family member was documented three times. Further checks indicated that 30 individuals were registered in both the Western Maori and Raglan electorates. Mr Hamilton stated that the discrepancies would be addressed with the Post Office electoral officers, who oversee the compilation of the electoral rolls. This scrutiny comes in the wake of the 1972 General Election, where former National candidate D. J. Carter secured a majority of 1231 votes over his Labour rival, A. J. Smith. Carter, however, is set to retire at the end of his current term.
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