The Green Party has repeated its call for the establishment of an Electoral Register Commission to take responsibility for the collation and maintenance of the national electoral register. The Party expressed its deep concern at the opportunity for voter fraud that the electoral register currently presents.

Green Party Local councillor, Deirdre de Burca said: “Today’s disclosure from a Trinity College Study which shows that the electoral register is significantly inaccurate in parts of Dublin highlights the need to swiftly update the law in this area. The Minister for the Environment Dick Roche TD cannot wipe his hands of this issue and lay blame at the door of local authorities. He is the Minister and the legislator and the buck stops on his desk.

“If the will is there, the legislation can be enacted by the summer recess that would reform the outdated system of compiling the electoral register.

“There are simple steps that can be taken immediately to correct the current inaccuracies in the system. Firstly, there is a clear need to establish an Electoral Commission, which would be independent of Government, and would have responsibility for compiling the electoral register with the assistance of the local authorities.

“Secondly, the register should be compiled through the use of PPS numbers. This would eliminate any risk of the inclusion of deceased persons, and would allow local authorities to cross-check data to ensure that no person is registered more than once. Finally, it is necessary to make the presentation of identification at polling stations mandatory to prevent against acts of voter fraud.

“Minister Roche has stated that it is too late to bring about radical change in electoral registration in the lead-in to the next general election. However, Minister Roche has had responsibility for this issue for over 18 months now and he has done little or nothing to deal with this problem since his appointment,” concluded De Burca.

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Press Release by Deirdre