Concerns over register of electors and postal voting
County councillors are to hold a special meeting to discuss problems with the register of electors after concerns were expressed at last week's council meeting.
Concerns about postal voting in particular were raised during the debate of two motions on the issue. Councillors and officials accept that the use of PPS numbers would help to keep the register up to date but this has not been accepted by government.
Cllr. David Alcorn, who tabled a motion on the issue, suggested that the PPS numbers should be used. County Secretary Eunan Sweeney said the council agreed with the use of PPS numbers but were not allowed to use them.
Independent councillor Seamus O'Domhnaill, who had raised the issue of abuse of the postal voting system, brought forward a motion calling for a re-evaluation of the register of electors and to make recommendations on the reform of the postal voting system.
He said there were issues with the format of the postal voting forms and which used to be filled in by the voter in the presence of a council official and a garda. "Now what is happening is the post man is bringing the vote then a voting agent would come and take the vote." He said the change in the system meant that elderly people had been pressurised into voting in a way that they did not want to."I would not be happy facing the next election with that type of skulduggery and wrong doing going on. We have to have a meeting to ensure something is done about it. It is an attack on democracy and the elderly."
Cllr. O'Domhnaill said he had passed information onto the Garda and they did investigate it but many of the elderly people were reluctant to give evidence in court.
Cllr. Dessie Larkin said that what Cllr. O'Domhnaill had described was disgraceful. He also said people who are away on holidays or students who are not at home should not be deprived of their votes. In one council estate in Letterkenny it emerged that 29 people on the register were no longer living there, he said.
Cllr. Bernard McGuinness said problems with the electoral register emerged after every election and some way had to be found to ensure people have a vote.
Labour Party councillor Frank McBrearty said a lot of people who had been on the electoral register for years found they were missing from it when they went to vote.
Sinn Fin's Cllr. Mick Quinn suggested the council involve lobby groups for the elderly in the discussion on postal votes and the electoral register.
Cllr. Ian McGarvey said that while there are abuses of the system it was up to individuals to ensure they are on the electoral register.
Fianna Fil councillor Ciaran Brogan said people needed to have confidence in the whole process. " I was amazed about the number of people who were not registered to vote. He said he was concerned that it if there are fewer council rent collectors on the ground, the electoral system would not run as smoothly. "They were the eyes and ears of the council on the ground."
Mr. Sweeney said the council does not have the resources to carry out a full review of the register of elections. he said the council had serious concerns about the ability of some people to carry out postal votes.
Acting Director of Services for Corporate Services Mr. Liam Ward said revenue collectors play a vital role as field workers gathering information for the compilation of the draft register. Large parts of the county will be without filed workers, he said, and it has not been decided on how the work will be done. Mr. Ward added that office-based revenue collectors will continue to have a role in relation to the register.
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Weather for Donegal
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
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