Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I raise this matter in the aftermath of the recent election and on foot of the experience of previous elections whereby people who were on the electoral register for years discovered that through no fault of their own they did not have a vote on election day. This is a serious matter which requires us to consider the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Constitution in regard to electoral reform. One of its recommendations was to consider the possibility of linking PPS numbers with the electoral register.

A small minority of people are abusing the right to vote and are bringing the electoral process into disrepute. It is a mark of a healthy democracy that a person can place himself or herself on the electoral register with ease. Practices that undermine politics and electoral processes are unhelpful in a society where cynicism and disaffection with politics are on the increase. The electoral register allows individuals' names to appear in more than one register, which gives them the opportunity to vote several times in the same or different polling stations. The current system also allows people with addresses in this State but domiciled in other jurisdictions to be registered. In an age of technology, this is unacceptable.

We need a proper debate on this matter because the way in which we do politics has changed. The various party political machines kept a close vigilance on electoral registers but that may no longer be the case. The breakdown in community networks means that people do not necessarily recognise voters as they arrive in polling stations. One way to address this is through the PPS number. I appreciate that complications will arise with regard to using this. People may see it as an invasion of privacy or find a barrier to the idea, but it must be seen as a practical solution.

The problem is not universal. Many registers are in fine shape. Nevertheless, when we examine voting numbers, we see turnouts of 69%, 70% or 75%. These are not accurate figures because registers may include duplications or names of people who no longer live at the address on the register. At a time when there is considerable cynicism towards and distrust of politics, people look at a turnout figure of 55% or 65% and wonder what happened the other 40%. Turnout figures are often misrepresentations.

I am calling for this matter to be examined. The recommendations of the joint committee should be considered and a debate begun. Many people on both sides of the House want to ensure we have an up-to-date electoral register. We should look at the possibility of having a central register. At present registers are under the auspices of 34 local authorities. A marked register is being compiled centrally. Each of the 34 local authorities has sent their marked registers to Leinster House to be checked. This is an anomaly. The updating of electoral registers could be done centrally, from start to finish.

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