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The Green Party
has repeated its call for the establishment of an Electoral Register
Commission to take responsibility for the collation and maintenance
of the national electoral register. The Party expressed its deep
concern at the opportunity for voter fraud that the electoral
register currently presents.
Green Party Local
Government spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD
said: "Today’s disclosure from a Trinity College Study which shows
that the electoral register is significantly inaccurate in parts of
Dublin highlights the need to swiftly update the law in this area.
The Minister for the Environment Dick Roche TD cannot wipe his hands
of this issue and lay blame at the door of local authorities. He is
the Minister and the legislator and the buck stops on his desk.
“If the will is
there, the legislation can be enacted by the summer recess that
would reform the antiquated system of compiling the electoral
register.
“There are
simple steps that can be taken immediately to correct the current
inaccuracies in the system. Firstly, there is a clear need to
establish an Electoral Commission, which would be independent of
Government, and would have responsibility for compiling the
electoral register with the assistance of the local authorities.
"Secondly, the
register should be compiled through the use of PPS numbers. This
would eliminate any risk of the inclusion of deceased persons, and
would allow local authorities to cross-check data to ensure that no
person is registered more than once. Finally, it is necessary to
make the presentation of identification at polling stations
mandatory to prevent against acts of voter fraud.
"Minister Roche
has stated that it is too late to bring about radical change in
electoral registration in the lead-in to the next general election.
However, Minister Roche has had responsibility for this issue for
over 18 months now and he has done little or nothing to deal with
this problem since his appointment," concluded Deputy Cuffe.
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CiaranCuffe.com,
or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.