Kerry voters seeking the reopening of their traditional polling stations may have to wait until after the general election. They were told yesterday by council officials there may not be sufficient time to reverse the closures councillors voted through last September.
Thirty-five rural polling stations were closed this year by the county council in accordance with guidelines from the Department of the Environment,affecting 7,000 voters in the two Kerry constituencies. A number of communities protested at the closures during the abortion referendum.
Under the 1992 Electoral Act each local authority must review its polling scheme every 10 years. Department guidelines recommend the amalgamation of polling districts with fewer than 350 voters, where possible, Ms Liz O'Donnell, the council administrative officer explained. However, the councillors who voted to close the stations last September claimed yesterday they did not realise fully what was involved. The information they received had been vague, confusing and "gobbledygook".
Cllr Billy Leen (Ind) said the right to vote was being attacked by the closures. "Two to three weeks ago the world was watching Mugabe. Tell me the difference between what's happening here and [in Zimbabwe\]. It's another nail in the life of rural Ireland."
Officials were adamant they had fully informed the councillors. Drafts of the scheme had been sent to them seven weeks before the vote.
The closure of stations led to widespread abstention during the abortion referendum.