KENNY CALLS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION OVERHAUL FOLLOWING POLLING CARD FIASCO

Posted on October 3, 2013 10:49 AM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin Bay North Labour TD Seán Kenny has today called for a complete overhaul of the voter registration system following the recent use of a wrong database file by Dublin City Council for the issuing of polling cards for Friday's referenda.

"The first major difficulty for many people who wish to register to vote is the actual mechanics of voter registration. In the US, many States link their voter registration lists with driving licence registration. In Ireland, local authorities manage both voter registration and driving licence registration, and the two systems could be combined. In addition a PPS number could also be used to identify eligible voters."

"In the 'Information Age', people should be automatically included on the electoral register, and an 'opt out' clause could be provided for citizens who do not wish to cast their vote. This would be a far more inclusive voter registration system. I am calling on the Environment Minister, Phil Hogan, to carry out a radical overhaul of voter registration for future elections."