Longford's electoral register is "so open to fraud", meeting is told

Local politicians, not for the first time, debated the complexities of a system which has become a frequent bone of contention at a local level over the past decade.

Cllr John Browne claimed there were sections of the register which were “completely out of kilter with reality”, insisting there were numerous examples of imperfections right across the county.

“I know of houses that have changed hands and there are people still on the register,” he said.

“I can't understand why they can't be removed.”

Cllr Mark Casey backed those comments up by calling into question the merits of allowing online applications to the register.
“We could end up with 1,000 people being added to it just weeks before the election,” he said.

“I could add Joe Bloggs now just with having an eircode.”

Director of Services Barbara Heslin acknowledged problems associated with the voting register were accepted by the council but said it was something not exclusive to Longford.

They were sentiments local authority staff member Nora O'Farrell gave further credence to.

Ms O'Farrell, who served as returning officer at last year's local elections, said while accountability was largely on the applicant when applying to be added to the register, the Council would not be found wanting in terms of ensuring the register's authenticity.

Fears concerning the register has been an issue which has been a regular talking point at local authority level in recent times.

In 2010, gardaí sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over alleged voting fraud in the 2009 local elections.

That came on foot of complaints about the addition of names to the supplementary register and of alleged cases where some people had voted twice.

No charges resulted from those investigations in an episode Cllr Casey said he was keen to avoid the next time local voters are asked to go to the polls.

“It just seems very peculiar that we (Council) go to all this effort at that end (counting process) of it and there have also been cases where people have turned up to vote only to find they have been taken off the register,” he said.