Madam, - Katie Harrington (May 3rd) would like a handbook on voting options. May I suggest www.citizensinformation.ie as a starting point. It (the website) has been widely advertised.
Sarah Sheppard is a student in Germany on the Erasmus programme. Her being out of the country on polling day puts her in the same situation as thousands of people normally resident in Ireland who will be away on holiday or on business and therefore denied the opportunity to vote. That is a separate issue (which does need addressing) to the belief that students are not being catered for at election time. Students studying away from home within the Republic are offered greater flexibility than most with regard to their vote.
William Burke believes I live in Nirvana. Maybe, but I was a student too and elections were called in the middle of my exam season. I coped with the pressure of a trip to the polling booth on top of having to study.
With regard to ignorance, I was referring only to the apparent lack of knowledge about postal voting or changing constituency. - Yours, etc,
LAURA EGAR, Shankill, Co Dublin.