Kerry registrar defends voting practices

THE Kerry county registrar has strongly defended voting procedures in the county at the last general election, insisting “checks and balances” were in place.

His comments came amid claims from a county councillor of irregularities and intimidation.

County registrar Pádraig Burke has, however, urged anyone with complaints about irregularities surrounding voting to come forward and make a statement either to himself, the county council or to gardaí.

Mr Burke’s comments followed a series of claims about alleged irregularities made at a county council meeting in Tralee, surrounding polling day in the last general election. The claims followed a Kerry County Council motion moved by Fine Gael Councillor Patrick Connor-Scarteen.

He called on “the Kerry county registrar in conjunction with An Garda Síochána to prevent voting irregularities in Kerry in future elections and ensure that voting laws and procedures are upheld to ensure fairness for all candidates”.

His motion met with support. Based in Kenmare, the councillor suggested more gardaí should be on duty at Kerry polling stations and more spot-checks should be carried out on election agents of candidates, as well as on polling cards.

“In essence I want greater vigilance,” said Mr Connor-Scarteen. Among irregularities reported to him and which he accepted, were intimidation of voters and of polling booth staff, as well as allegations that “polling cards were ending up in the wrong hands,” he said.

He added that polling booths outside the main urban areas, in particular, needed more frequent checks by gardaí.

The reason, he said, was to prevent intimidation and pressure by election agents in the vicinity of polling stations.

Among claims made by other councillors was that information had been passed by some candidates’ agents in, or in the vicinity of polling booths, about people who had not yet voted.

Furthermore, it was claimed by Councillor Brendan Cronin that voters were being registered at addresses they had never lived at.

Asked to comment on the allegations, the county registrar said there were checks and balances and rules on voting companions and on canvassing in proximity of polling booths, and these measures were being applied.

“The rules are there. If I have a complaint I will deal with it, without fear or favour, and decide whether or not to pass it onto the gardaí,” Mr Burke said.

He had, however, received only one formal complaint — about an allegation concerning a postal vote in Castleisland — and gardaí are investigating, he said.