There were two voter rolls; the initial plan was for Africans and mixed-race people identifying as African to be on a general roll and for non-Africans and mixed-race people not identifying as African to be on a special roll. All people over the age of 21 who had been in Nyasaland for at least two years were given the vote, except Africans who were not from Nyasland or one of the neighbouring countries (Northern Rhodesia, Portuguese East Africa or Tanganyika).H R Rowland (1964) "Nyasaland General Elections, 1964", The Journal of Local Administration Overseas, Vol 3, pp227-240 The general roll was to elect 50 members and the special roll five. The special roll created some controversy; the Nyasaland Constitutional Party opposed the inclusion of Asians on the special roll, as they would outnumber the Europeans. In late December the debate shifted to whether the special roll seats should exist at all. Ultimately the decision was made to have a general roll for Africans, Asians and mixed-race people, and a special roll for Europeans.
