Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

I agree with the Senator about the impact of fraudulent voting. It strikes to the core of our democracy, has a serious impact on the candidates who put themselves forward and adds to the stresses associated with election time. We all understand that. There has to be trust in the process, and there is. If there is not, it undermines everything.

I disagree, however, in that I do not think it is happening as widely and at the scale the Senator asserted. I commend polling clerks and officers at polling stations who give up their days, whether adjudicating at polling stations or at the counts later on. They do incredible work in local authorities across the country. They are vigilant. I do not think it is happening at the scale the Senator asserted but I agree with him that where it happens, the consequences should be serious. If it is blatant and obvious and someone has been caught red-handed, I agree there should be serious consequences for the reasons the Senator outlined. It may deter people from getting involved in politics in the future, and it is a tough job as it is.

I appreciate the Senator raising the issue. I cannot comment on individual cases for obvious reasons but I accept the general tenor of his argument.