As many as 500,000 names could be on the Electoral Register that should not be – through duplication or people who have died, the chief executive of the independent Electoral Commission has acknowledged.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland about the low turnout in the general election last Friday, Art O’Leary said that the official turnout figure of 59.7 per cent was “a very blunt measure by which to judge public engagement”.
The Electoral Register (which is 31 separate registers) was not complete or as accurate as it should be, he said. There was a project under way to create a single database using dates of birth and eircodes that would allow duplicates to be identified. “But it’s not going to be fixed tomorrow or the day after. It’s a longer-term project.”
Mr O’Leary explained that duplicates happened when somebody moved house or moved from one constituency to another but is still registered in both.
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“I got two polling cards for people who lived in my house five years ago. So, what we’re asking people if they do get polling cards for people who have passed away or who are no longer living at the address, to return them to the local authority with a note explaining what has happened because this will help us with the completeness and accuracy of the register.”
The weather and the time of year when an election is held could also be factors contributing to the low turnout, he added. Forty two per cent of people who did not vote in the local elections in June said it was because they had no interest in politics, said Mr O’Leary
“We can help with that. The Electoral Commission has a long-term sustained education programme aimed at primary schools, secondary schools, universities, lifelong learning ... the Travelling community, the immigrant community, people with disabilities.”
There was also a study being done that he anticipated would conclude in the coming months and provide “a better idea about why people didn’t vote in this election”. Research will also be completed on the possibility of introducing postal voting in the future, as at present “our voting system is quite restrictive.”
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