The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-13 00:00:00

Tag "BALLOT" IN AUSTRALIA.

We have received the following letter from Aus-
tralia, regarding the working of the ballot at the
elections in the colony :
Slr,—As the first trial of the ballot has been a com-
plete triumph, it may be interesting to the friends of the
ballot in Manchester if I give them, through the medium
of your columns, a few particulars respecting the modus
operandi, as I hope the ballot will soon be the law of
your country. Booths are erected in the different dis-
tricts, as in your own town. There is in each polling
booth but one room, with a writing table in the centre,
around which sits one agent foreach candidate, called scru-
tineers, and the returning officer. Beyond these no one
is'allowed to remain in the room. I may also say that
the electors go into a gangway similar to those at the
ticket windows of English railway stations, and pass out
by another, which preserves order in case of a rush, of
u on which t o be.
which, however, there is no fear, as, under the plan
adopted here, there is nothing to be gained by it, and
the voters come in regularly during the whole of the day.
Thethat
'is e
Passing up the gangway to the table, the presiding offi-
he
cer puts the questions just as yours does, to ascertain
rtthhheeeinneagleme teosr of whomsatisfied,
ali
th
the
enh
hands
sarnehdpi
mirde
candidates.
enst. Re goes alones himself
paper p
is printed
to the end of the booth, and enters one of three
o
compart-
ments, similar to the compartments in front f a pawn-
broker's counter. They are only open in front, and have
a desk and pen and ink in each. The elector,
unassisted
and alone, draws his pen across the names of such of the
candidates as he may wish to reject, and leaves untouched
the names of such as be may wish to return ; but he must
not leave more names entire than there are vacant seats,
as such an act invalidates his Paper. Under no circum-
stances can any person have a second paper, or leave the
room with his paper ; but if he cannot
e cannot read, he may get
the returning officer, in thepresenceee
to mark off for him such names as
heorf all
ttsh
elector,eli,chrenin r,
whilst in this private office (or box), folds his ballot paper,
returns to the table, and, in the presence of the scruti-
neers and returning officer, deposits it in a box which
stands on the table, with a niche in the lid. This box is
not opened until the close of the poll, which continues
from 9 a.m till 4 p.m., when the booth door is locked,
the box is opened, ad the votes counted by the scrati-
ueers and a teller, in the presence of the returning offi-
cer.
Such, sir, is a brief outline of our mode of voting by
ballot. And
now, if I am not tedious, will you allow me
to point out a few of the advantages derived from this
un-English mode of voting. First, it is a true reflex of
public opinion, for nothing but the ballot could have
thrown out the three unsuccessful candidates for the
Central Province ; one of whom is the thrice elected
mayor of Melbourne, who owns nearly all the public
the next being Thomas
house property in the city ;
who makes out the A'Becket, a first class solicitor,
A'Becket was a
Go-
vernment conveyances of land. Mr.
nominee member of the old council, and has just pub.
lisped a defence for state aid to religion. The last of
the three is the Solicitor-General. This gentleman was
so confident of success that he made his appearance be-
fore the electors but once previous to the election.
Indeed, sir, the result took everybody by surprise. In
the next place, it effectually prevents bribery, corrup.
tion, intimidation, treating, and all unnecessary excite-
ment and excess, and it saves a candidate from those
ruinous expenses to which he is subjected under the old
system. A stranger passing through Melbourne streets
whilst the polling was going on could see none of the
usual indiestions of an English election day. There
were no cabs engaged by any of the candidates ; every
elector had to walk or find his own conveyance. Your
Guardian once said in one of its leaders that the ballot
would not prevent bribery, inasmuch as those who
wanted a bribe for their vote would hold back until the
last half hour, when the corrupting agent would buy
the whole batch of unpolled voters, the bribe to be
given only on condition that the stipulated candidate be
returned. This is obviated by the ballot-box being kept
closed until the close of the poll. Allow me, sir, in
conclusion, to tell all my old friends of the working
classes that it is my firm belief that the ballot is of
more importance to them than the remaining five points
of the " People's Charter."—Yours truly,
Jesus MTALL.
35, Flinders Lane East, Messrs. Michealis,
Boyd, and Co., Melbourne.

PRIZE GLEEB,---Alr. G. W. Martin bas againsuceeeded
in carrying
best glee. off the Glee Club prize of 20 guineas for the