Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I was sickened to hear time and again from members of the Government in recent years that Ireland would be the laughing stock of Europe if we did not introduce electronic voting. Never was there a more pathetic excuse of an argument for introducing electronic voting. While it might not be the most popular thing to say in this House given that we have all been through the difficulty of long election counts, our system of electing people has a great benefit in helping people engage with the political process. Any debate in this House should focus more widely on the importance of improving the image of politics in the eyes of the public. Our voting system is a help and not a hindrance.