Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, as such reform is long overdue. We have been talking about electoral reform in these Houses for decades and I welcome the progress made here, however belated it may be. Anybody who has run or taken part in an election will know the frustration caused by an inaccurate register, the chase to get on the register, to get those who are not registered to register, and the conversations with constituents who do not vote in their local area because they never updated their address information.

I will focus my comments on the electoral register. The Bill is welcome, as the electoral register can be pretty shambolic in some constituencies. There are people on electoral register who are long dead and others who have emigrated. As it stands, it is an inaccurate and incomplete register, which leads to inaccurate turnout figures. We are all in this Chamber because the people of the State voted for us to be here. It is the greatest privilege to be trusted in such a way by our peers but not everybody votes and not all members of the public are as interested in electoral processes as we are. People do not vote for lots of reasons and I welcome any steps taken to ensure that more people can engage more easily in the electoral process. While appreciating that there are questions around privacy and data protection, we need to ensure that a person's personal public service, PPS, number is linked to any reform of the electoral register. This is the best way to make sure the register is accurate going forward.

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The simplification of the registration process and the inclusion of a preregistration facility for those under the age of 18 are very good proposals, and we support them. Research from the United States suggests that the availability of a preregistration process can lead to an 80% increase in voter turnout. When canvassing and visiting local areas, we hear from some people that they are put off voting because the registration process is time-consuming and complex. We need to demonstrate that it is not complex. A simple process of filling in one's name, date of birth, address and personal public service, PPS, number without the need for a Garda signature, if promoted correctly by the new electoral commission, should lead to increased registration. The removal of the draft register and supplementary register should free up vital time and resources within local authorities. This should hopefully allow for a greater focus on the maintenance of the register in general. We need a proper rolling register, provided we get the original register correct. We need to get this right as changes in this area are decades delayed.

People get disgruntled with the political process, some to the point where they opt not to vote. For numerous reasons and over many years voter turnout in several estates in Limerick was traditionally extremely low. These areas were neglected for many years because politicians focused their efforts on areas where there was greater voter turnout. Turnout in the areas to which I refer has greatly improved in recent years, but more needs to be done to encourage all sections of society to engage in the electoral process. In the past, there has not been any proper attempt to get working class communities registered to vote. I know from experience that local authority efforts to get people registered to vote have been mostly confined to more affluent areas.

The establishment of an electoral commission, albeit with limited powers, is long overdue. The establishment of a body with an oversight and policy role is an important positive step for our electoral process. I am particularly keen to see how this body goes about the education aspects of its remit. We need to ensure that any proposed changes to the electoral register make it easier for people to register to vote and, if they wish, to check they are registered to vote.

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