Xin,
I agree with Sue's comments, and add that even the stated occupations can be misleading. These Electoral Rolls do not show any marital status nor are they compiled by household. They also do not show any 'foreigners' who have not taken out Citizenship. An example from my own first hand experience: I can see my parents listed in the 1950s, and I am old enough to know that my mother was not 'home duties' .... she was 'gainfully' employed as a bookkeeper, drawing wages in her own name. At that same polling place, and at the same 'street address' (a road in rural NSW, farms etc, no street numbers on the roll) I can find most of our adult neighbours, except for the couple who migrated from Eastern Europe, and had not yet become citizens. None of my contemporaries are named on these 1950s rolls, because none of us were 21 years or over, we are Baby Boomers. BUT I am quite sure that our local doctor and his wife were tragically killed in the late 1950s (and I can find NSW BDM index entries that seem to support that, and local family history groups have submitted info supporting it too). And the doctor and his wife are still listed in the 1963 electoral roll at same address as in those 1950s ones. I think you will find that the Returning Officer for that polling place would have noted the lack of their 1963 vote and followed it up in a report to the Electoral Commission, who then would send a card (brown postcard size) to the address asking for confirmation details about the then current residents.
Hoping this info is useful,
JM
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Topic: Electoral roll (Read 323 times)