The Green Party is to consider a legal challenge to the Government's plan to introduce electronic voting throughout the State later this year.
Academics and experts in computer systems have called for changes to the electronic voting system before it replaces the current system of manually marked ballot papers.
The Government argues that the state-of-the-art computers bought from The Netherlands are, in fact, more accurate than manual ballots and that they will also cut out much of the painstaking work involved in counting votes by hand.
However, some studies suggest the electronic system is not tamper-proof unless there is a clear paper trail and a printed 'receipt' which will allow voters to check their votes have been recorded as they wish.
Green Party leader Mr Trevor Sargent TD said this evening the party is considering a legal challenge to the plan. The party is seeking a united oppostition plan to the current "flawed" system proposed by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Cullen, he added.
"Problems with electronic voting in the United States point to the need for a paper trail as a fall back position. Speed must always take a back seat to accuracy."
"There is serious concern among opposition parties to the new electronic voting system. The Green Party believe that the way to get agreement is to add a paper record to the electronic voting machines which is visible to voters when voting.
"If the Government fails to do this they will producing a new voting system which does not enjoy public confidence."
Mr Sargent said there was also a "potential conflict of interest" as Mr Cullen is also director of elections for Fianna Fail in the local election campaign. The local and European Parliament elections are to take place in June.
"The Green Party believe that an independent body such as the Standards in Public Office Commission should have been given the brief. As it stands, a Fianna Fáil director of elections is overseeing the new electronic voting system while Jackie Gallagher and Martin Macken, former Fianna Fáil advisers, have been awarded the public relations contract to promote the system."
Labour's environment spokesman, Mr Eamon Gilmore, also called on the minister not to proceed with plans to use the electronic voting system. He said he would table an amendment to the European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill in the Dail this week specifying that the traditional non-electronic form of voting should be used for the Euro elections on June 11th.