Quirk could deny voters

THOUSANDS of people who have registered to vote before today’s 2011 electoral register cutoff point may still be barred from the ballot box in the upcoming general election.

Due to a procedural quirk in the system, if the election falls before February 15 next the 2010 electoral register will be used. As a result, any person who has in recent days decided to register may be unable to vote as they will be placed on the 2011 electoral register.

Anyone in this position must also have their names added to the local authority’s supplementary register at least 15 days before the date of the ballot box call to be allowed to vote.

However, if they do not realise this second barrier to their participation, they will not be allowed to cast their vote on the nation’s politicians.

While the 2011 electoral register is published in draft form on February 1, the finalised list does not come into force until February 15. This means that if an election takes place before this date, the 2010 version will be used — resulting in thousands of people potentially being barred from voting.

Once an individual who is not already registered to vote signs up to the 2011 electoral document, they must also agree to the local authority supplementary register.

In order to do this, a potential voter needs to complete a form available at their local Garda station and complete it while witnessed by a garda, county council or city council official.

Although some local authorities have automatically added those signing-up to the new electoral register in their own supplementary register lists, this is not a compulsory measure for city and county councils.

As such, new voters have been urged to ensure they are listed on both documents to ensure their voice is heard in one of the most vital elections in the history of the state.

Voters already on the 2010 election register do not need to sign-up to the 2011 document as this will be done automatically on their behalf by the relevant authorities.

The 2011 electoral register will come into force from February 15 and will last for exactly 12 months.

If the election takes place before this date the 2010 version of the document will be used.

lAnyone seeking to check whether they are registered to vote can do so at www.checktheregister.ie.

The draft register of electors is also available at all city and county council offices, all Garda stations and all libraries and post offices.