Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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18. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in respect of unplanned absences on election polling days, if he will consider providing the option of casting a vote, other than a postal vote, in order to accommodate persons who cannot meet the postal vote deadline and / or present themselves at a polling booth on the day, as is the case for many workers in the fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38231/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Electoral law provides that a person who is entitled to vote at a Dáil election shall vote in person at a polling station allotted to him or her unless they are included in the postal voters list or in the special voters list for the constituency concerned. While electoral law is subject to ongoing review, I have no proposals at present to amend the existing arrangements for voting.

As regards deadlines for postal vote registration, workers whose occupation is such that it takes them away from their residence on a regular basis - for example those in the fishing industry - and who, consequently, are unlikely to be able to vote in person on polling day may apply to their local authority for inclusion in the postal voters list. The deadline for applying for inclusion as a postal voter in the register of electors to come into force on 15 February next year is 25 November 2015. If this deadline is missed, a person can apply to get on the supplement to the postal voters list for that register by completing the relevant application form and submitting it to their registration authority.

As regards deadlines for casting a postal ballot, postal voting papers are issued as soon as possible following the close of nominations in order to maximise the time available for voters to return their marked ballot papers to the Returning Officer so as to arrive by post before the close of poll on polling day.