The film is self explanatory and shows voting going on inside one of the Reserved seat Polling stations..it shows that the same thumb marking procedure is employed for whites as well as for africans..there are close-ups of voters putting their ballot papers into the box..shots outside the station show the lack of crowds so characteristic of the african polling stations.




Initials



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Background: By the close of polling on the first day in the NR General Elections it was clear that Africans, voting on the Main Roll had gone to the polls in their thousands and that an extremely high percentage poll on this roll had been made..already approaching 90%. The asians and europeans on the other hand had only voted in small numbers and a / 30% poll was considered high and the general scene at a Reserved Roll station was that of voters coming in ones and twos at irregular intervals. Obviously the revolt in Zanzibar and Tanganyika was having a profound influence on the white and asian electorate..many who would have voted without enthusiasm for one or other of the parties undoubtedly decided not to vote at all in face of the news of the army revolt which came over the air on the first day of the elections from Tanganyika.

Many europeans would in the normal way have voted for Roberts NPP and many asians would have voted for Kaundas UNIP but there has been a very decided fall off in the voting enthusiasm among the electorate of the Reserved Roll.