bid to avoid annual registration this year.

The Upper House met yesterday for just ten minutes to give the third and final reading to the Act so Governor Thorold Masefield will have sufficient time to formally sign it into law.

Senate President Alf Oughton said: "The Act deals mostly with the abolition of annual registration -- we met on Monday so it could be sent to His Excellency for signing to avoid annual registration this year.'' Senate knocked back parts of the registration amendment bill last week and sent it back to the House of Assembly on Friday.

Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Paula Cox told MPs that the amendments were not major and said she was happy to accept them. Senators -- led by lawyer and new UBP Senator Mark Pettingill -- forced through a move blocking a proposal to allow a host of voter ID to be used at polling stations.

Sen. Oughton said: "The Act left it up to the Returning Officers -- you could have very different opinions at each of the polling stations.'' But he added that a six-month deadline had been accepted for driving licences, where the previous limit to be acceptable at the polls was three months. And Independent Senators again sided with the Opposition to set a 28-day time limit on notification of change of address. The Act as originally worded was open-ended. But Senators accepted a minor amendment to the wording from the House, which allows for 28 days "from the change taking effect.'' The Act's main thrust -- the abolition of the "frustrating'' annual registration process -- was not challenged.