Call to mark election voters with ink

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche last night suggested a novel way to beat the threat of mass fraud at the next election — indelible ink which stays on voters fingers for five days.

Mr Roche said he had observed the “low-tech” identification system in operation in Nicaragua and believed in could work here.

With the electoral register out by between 300,000 and 800,000 voters, the minister said there was no “silver bullet” solution, but the tell-tale ink marks could be seen as a “badge of democracy” by electors.