Calls made in Tipperary for postal voting to be brought in if voters are away on holidays
Cllr David Dunne was the first to call for post voting to be brought in, in instances where voters find themselves on holidays during election times.
A presentation was given to Tipperary County Council’s June meeting on the Electoral Commission’s oversight report regarding electoral registers.
The presentation was given by Ger Walsh, and while praising the report councillors voiced changes they’d like to see in regards to the electoral system.
Cllr David Dunne was the first to call for post voting to be brought in, in instances where voters find themselves on holidays during election times.
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“What's disappointing to me with this work is that people on holidays during election time will not get to vote, that will not change. If you book a holiday that happens to coincide with an election day, you cannot get a postal vote.
"To me that would be a very very simple thing to do. You show your plan, your boarding pass, and you should be able to vote in advance of that. If you want to get accuracy and participation, it’s a simple thing to do.”
Cllr Liam Browne reiterated what Cllr Dunne said. “We should be encouraging people as much as they can to vote. We are putting 20 or 30 thousand people off the register every single election minimum, simply because they’ve gone on a holiday that they’ve booked five, six, seven months in advance of that.”
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Cllr Máirín McGrath lent her support to the enquiry made by Cllr Dunne regarding the expansion of the register for holiday voting. “I know it’s not a function of the council, but perhaps we can put it up the ladder,” said Cllr McGrath.
Ger Walsh, who is Senior Executive Officer of Corporate Services at the council responded to the councillors query stating: “I can acknowledge the councillors concerns but I’m afraid I can’t help ye there. It’s something we’ll have to take up nationally and will require a change in legislation.”