Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Andrew Doyle for bringing forward this legislation which would make it statutory for polling for all elections in the State to take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Sinn Féin believes it should go further, however, with voting on weekends which would provide people who wish to vote with a longer timeframe within which to exercise their democratic right. It means that people can vote before going to work and there is no longer the same pressure on people to get to polling stations.

One argument in favour of extended opening hours for polling stations is that it would increase turnout. That has not actually been the case, however. Turnout in the 1997 general election was 76.5% while turnout in the last general election when polling stations opened at 7 a.m. was 70%. However, this should not be the determining factor in whether there should be longer hours. It is more to do with facilitating people in exercising their franchise. Whether they choose to do so or not is up to themselves, but voting ought to be made as user-friendly as possible.

Several other issues might be considered to widen the democratic nature of elections. Sinn Féin supports the extension of the franchise to all citizens over the age of 16. People of that age are already fully participating citizens through the education system - some are even working - and have a valid right to be consulted through the democratic process by being allowed to vote in local, European, general and presidential elections, as well as in referenda. We would also like to see people living in the Six Counties being allowed to vote in presidential and Seanad elections. After all, we had a President from Belfast, Mary McAleese, who it is generally agreed did a good job. My party nominated Martin McGuinness as our candidate in the last presidential election. It should be noted that successive Presidents, including Michael D. Higgins, have said they are Presidents for all of the Irish people.

There is also a strong case to be made for providing emigrants with some means of exercising their franchise. Up to 115 states, including nearly all developed democracies, do so. Indeed, we are all familiar with seeing news reports of American citizens and citizens of other states who are living here going to their embassy in Dublin to cast their ballot. Surely, some similar mechanism to allow enfranchised emigrants to vote could be introduced.

The electoral register is totally inaccurate. I noted I could only get the register 95% accurate on the streets on which I lived as a councillor previously and as a Deputy. Many adults are not on it or are on it at the wrong address while other individuals are on it twice and three times. Local representatives will bring it to the attention of officials when they note someone on the register three times. However, it can take some time to rectify it.

The only feasible way of registering voters is through the use of PPS, personal public service, numbers. While I accept data protection issues come into play, there must be some way technically of placing the electoral roll number next to the PPS number without compromising data protection regulations. Such a system would also ensure people automatically come on to the register when they reach their eighteenth birthday. I noted during the recent local elections cases of people who were registered to vote for years, who have not moved house or out of the country but were taken off the register. Introducing a PPS-based system would ensure that people did not have to register proactively themselves and would encourage more young people to vote. The use of PPS numbers would also help to safeguard against electoral fraud by ensuring each person on the register had a unique identification number and was only on the register once.

We need to establish an independent electoral commission to be responsible for voter registration and voter education. That could be improved by making the electoral and overall political system an integral part of the existing CPSE, civic, social and political education, course in second level schools. That depends on individual teachers as some have an interest in it and others do not. The commission would have the task of maximising voter turnout and numbers contesting seats at all tiers of representation including the development of programmes for proactive enfranchisement of and increased participation by traditionally under-represented groups.

Such a commission could also take on responsibilities held by the Constituency Commission, the Standards in Public Office body, SIPO, and the Referendum Commission. The original function which required the Referendum Commission to set out the pros and cons of a referendum proposal should be restored. We have all seen the contentious issues that have been put to referendum in recent years and are familiar with the claims, justified in my view with regards to some of the European referenda, that the allegedly unbiased information provided to citizens was anything but unbiased.

Sinn Féin also supports the introduction of larger seven-seat constituencies while keeping the same number of Deputies. It would ensure smaller parties and independent candidates were provided with a better opportunity to win seats. Indeed, the Labour Party would have performed far worse than it did in the recent local elections had there not been such multiple-seat wards. Alongside larger constituencies, there might also be consideration given to the introduction of a partial list system based on proportional representation. List systems are common in other Europe states. We are fond of saying we should do things the European way. Here is one thing we could do the European way. Such constituencies allow party support to be measured simply on the basis of party preference rather than being totally influenced by the individual candidate. That might go some way in reducing the so-called “parish pump” influence which many people criticise as a factor in Irish politics.

I repeat my support for this Bill which, given its author, I assume will have the support of the Government and that the recent practice of opening polling stations between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. will be placed on a statutory basis. We should go further and have voting on weekends to facilitate students and those working away from home. A simple system could be put in place to allow people on holiday to vote too. In the case of local elections, the election year is known in advance.

For example, if one had booked holidays for 23 May this year and was not here to vote, one should have been able to visit one's council offices several weeks beforehand and present one's identification to a franchise officer. The officer should have been able to check that one was on the register and then remove one's name from the register that goes to the polling stations, indicating that one had already voted. It should not be beyond our abilities to do it. I am sure everybody here met people who could not vote in the recent election because they were away on the day. If such a person is a supporter and would have voted for one, it is terrible.

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