Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the opportunity to raise this matter and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, who is earning his keep this evening, for his attendance. The Minister of State will be aware from his involvement with Ógra Fianna Fáil of the importance of the involvement of young people in politics. It is also important for people across the political spectrum to vote and participate in elections. Those of us who study politics will be aware of the trends in turnout for elections and of the decline in turnout in various types of elections. Participation is most important and voting is the most democratic action any citizen can make.

It is time to allow the franchise to be extended and to make it more accessible for people. Let us consider the way in which we run concurrent elections, for example, the running of local and European elections. If they were held separately, the turnout would be low in each case. However, I believe the running of local elections has helped European elections. Let us consider the turnout in referenda, with the possible exception of the last Lisbon treaty referendum.

It is time for the way in which we organise elections and the way in which we allow people to vote to be changed. During the recently concluded election process in the USA, I observed the process in New Jersey in which the State extended the franchise to its citizens and allowed them to vote from home using a new website, www.njvotefromhome.com. I appreciate the difficulty we have had with electronic voting and the lack of accountability and transparency, and I have no wish for the Minister, Deputy Gormley, to return to the excesses of that matter. However, we could request citizens to vote from home by postal ballot. It would be easy to arrange, expand the franchise and allow citizens to vote from home.

I say as much because I noticed the number of people who live, work or study in Cork city but who had to go back to their homes in Munster or outside Munster to vote. On a given day of an election it may not suit a person to vote because of work or study commitments. Equally, there are people who may go on holidays or on pilgrimage. For example, during the last local elections, a considerable number of people from the diocese of Cork and Ross were on a pilgrimage to Lourdes and could not vote. They were predominately in the age category of 50 years and above and they were disenfranchised on that occasion.

We must consider a means of attracting people to vote and we must not be afraid of enticing participation. I note the state of Oregon and other states in the USA have absentee ballots. I believe we should consider an absentee ballot, whether for Irish people who have emigrated, who work abroad or who are on holiday. We should allow people the opportunity to vote. I note the state of Oregon has had no verifiable evidence of voter fraud. Checks and balances were in place. It should be possible to put in place a franchise that allows people to vote from home, whether by postal vote or electronically by computer.

Another bugbear of mine is the timing of elections. I have become a firm advocate of using Sunday as the day to hold an election. It would ensure the majority of students would be available to vote and casting a vote on that day would be more accessible than other days. I appreciate some people would be on shift work but, generally, fewer people work on Sunday. It could create more of an opportunity for people to vote.

I recognise the Minister, Deputy Gormley, referred to the possibility of 16 and 17 year old people voting in local elections for a trial period. However, we must increase the interaction between young people and politicians in the body politic, perhaps through their appointment to strategic policy committees, SPCs, in local authorities. I note the Minister of State is looking at me quizzically. As he is well aware, some people do not bother to turn up to SPC meetings and there is nothing wrong with giving young people an opportunity to attend such meetings.

The basic thrust of my argument is that we must think outside the box about election participation. I hope the Minister of State will give some thought to extending the franchise to allow people to vote from home. The Minister of State should also consider extending the postal vote. It is currently restricted to the elderly, the disabled and members of the Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the Naval Service. It is restricted but it should be opened to allow more people to participate. We have gone beyond the impersonation stage and beyond being afraid of who will vote. We should open the franchise and consider how best we can get people to participate in democracy. Opening the franchise to allow people to vote from home would help to accomplish this.