Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and all my colleagues in the House for their generally positive contributions to this debate. As I said at the outset, I am introducing this Bill in the context of the Government's commitment to Dáil reform and to political reform in general. With the exception of Deputy Cowen, who unfortunately decided to go on a tangent by bringing in other issues, all of those who spoke showed that Friday sittings allow for better discussion and more rational debate. Perhaps the absence of media focus on the set pieces that take place on other sitting days lends itself to a committee-type atmosphere.

I anticipated that something as fundamental to politicians as how people vote would generate some interest. It is in all of our interests to show an interest in this matter. When I was considering this legislation, I was tempted to include a provision requiring people to vote on Saturdays, which is something I would favour. I decided to focus the Bill precisely on the issue of voting hours. It was argued that the hours I am proposing, which are the most common, are very long. Like all Deputies, on election day I try to get to as many polling booths as possible and talk to every presiding officer. I am aware that the turnout, rather than the hours of polling, is the biggest issue for the presiding officer and the staff who work on polling day. They will tell one that it is a long day if no one is turning up. They understand the ebbs and flows of voting patterns during the day. They will always say they are hoping for a good turnout in the evening because it keeps everybody active. By the time polling ends, perhaps at 10 p.m., they feel it has been a good day for democracy.

I am reminded of two things that are somewhat humorous. Winston Churchill, who is credited with many things, is supposed to have said once that even though democracy is a terrible way to run a country, nobody has figured out a better way. In the 1980s, when Lech Walesa led the Solidarity movement in an industrial protest that was specifically aimed at allowing the people of Poland to have the right to vote, the father of a current Fine Gael member in Arklow was elected to represent a town or city of 75,000 people. The man in question suffered as a result but was subsequently elected after political reform had taken place and the right to suffrage had been gained and exercised. The turnout in Poland, in the initial stages at least, was over 90% because people valued the right to vote. I agree with Deputy Durkan's statement that "by minimising the importance of voting we diminish the importance of democracy". We should always hold on to that view.

Deputy Crowe spoke about the access to, and the suitability of, particular polling stations. This is something that needs to be addressed. The issue of the register of electors has come up time and time again. I welcome the fact that everybody has something constructive to say. The general theme was that the register of electors needs to be maintained and an electoral commission needs to be established. I welcome the fact that the Minister said in his concluding remarks that "the establishment of the electoral commission" was in the programme for Government and is something "to which this Government is absolutely committed". The explanatory memorandum that accompanies this Bill makes it clear that "Ireland at present has no independent Electoral Commission, has no fixed hours of polling for elections or referenda, and no consolidated electoral acts".

I hope the introduction of this Bill and the debate we have had today will start a wider discussion on the issue of the electoral system. All politicians and members and supporters of political parties get phone calls from people who have turned up at the polling station only to find they are unable to vote. In 2011, I dealt with the case of a 93 year old woman who was disenfranchised even though she had never moved house and had voted in every election almost since the foundation of the State. I do not know who she was going to vote for, but I know she was not impressed about not being allowed to vote. Members of her family had been involved in the struggle to allow this country to have a vote. Those are the cases we all hear about. We need a body to focus on them.

We have all sorts of organisations, including the Commission for Energy Regulation, the Commission for Communications Regulation and the Office of the Ombudsman. Given that the citizens' franchise to vote is a fundamental piece of democracy, I think an electoral commission should be established on a statutory footing as a dedicated entity. It should make recommendations to the Oireachtas, regardless of who is in government or in this House. It was interesting to hear what Deputy Buttimer had to say about the Constitutional Convention. He indicated that "the option of extending polling hours... received 89% support" and that the proposal to "establish an independent electoral commission received 97% support". If we accept that the Constitutional Convention was reflective of society, it can be argued that we have the imprimatur of society to debate this matter further. I thank the Minister of State and the other Members of the House for their comments. I consider this to be the start, rather than the end, of the discussion and debate of the hours of polling and on voting in general.

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