Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I support the call for a debate on voting procedures and the electoral register. I recall that during or immediately after the last general election, at a polling station in south Galway, 40 valid voting papers were declared invalid. I inquired into this because a large number of votes for me, which I considered to be valid, were declared invalid. It would not have made any difference to the outcome.

We encourage people to vote and complain when a high percentage do not do so. However, there can be inefficiency either through a deliberate or mistaken attempt by a presiding officer to invalidate a vote. There is something seriously wrong when one reports that to a returning officer who may dismiss it out of hand and reappoint the same presiding officer for the following election.