Council criticised over its management of 'inaccurate' electoral register for Clare

Clare County Council has been criticised by An Coimisiún Toghcháin over its management and maintenance of the electoral register for County Clare.

In its first Oversight Report on Ireland’s Electoral Registers, An Coimisiún says it is ‘deeply concerned’ at the legacy accuracy issues on the electoral registers, including in Clare.

The report, which runs to nearly 200 pages, recommends a plan for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the 31 local authorities to address this issue before the next round of electoral events in 2029. This, the reports suggests, should begin with audits of every electoral register in the country.

The report individually assesses each of the 31 electoral registers based on the resources dedicated by the relevant local authority and the activities undertaken to improve the registers by using ‘accuracy indicators’ such as PPSNs, dates of birth and Eircodes. 

READ ALSO: Free shuttle bus service linking Clare towns and tourist attractions officially launched

In the case of Clare County Council, the report states it is within the mid-range when compared to other local authorities and that it has "work to do" in order to improve the accuracy of its electoral register.

"Based on the information provided, An Coimisiún does not believe that the management and maintenance of the electoral register is satisfactorily prioritised by this local authority. While there have been some efforts to improve the quality of this register, a higher level of effort needs to be made."

According to the report, Clare County Council reported that there was one staff member working full-time on the electoral register in 2023 and 2024, with one part-time staff member in 2023, rising to four in early 2024. The Council spent €72,478 on maintaining the electoral register in 2023 while the approved council budget for register costs in 2024 was €87,022. 

While there are 100,881 people on the electoral register in Clare, the report states this figure cannot be relied upon.

"Given the overall quality of this register, based on information provided, it will not be possible to estimate with any degree of certainty either the registration rate for the county, turnout at electoral events or the numbers of people who are not registered until there is a considerable improvement before the start of the next electoral cycle in 2029."

Commenting following the publication of the report, Art O’Leary Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin stated: “The accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers, as well as how they are managed and maintained, are fundamental to Ireland’s democratic process. 

"The issue of accuracy needs resources and increased prioritisation by local authorities in the long term to ensure that the management of our electoral registers is improved. Ireland’s voters deserve the strongest and most accurate electoral registers they can have.”