Voters warned of cut to polling booths and staff

Staff numbers as well as polling booths have been reduced in one county in response to instructions from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to save money, the county registrar in Kerry has confirmed.

Voters are being urged to take account of the reduced polling booths and the possibility of queues at peak times, especially in urban areas and to vote early.

Meanwhile, two full days have been set aside and provision for a third day has been made for what is expected to be a marathon count for the first ever municipal authority elections.

This is because of the high number of candidates for the new structure in Kerry which will see six extra seats overall in the new 33-seat county council, along with having to separate European and local papers in just one centre.

There is also a reduction in count personnel as a result of the need to save money and budgets being slashed.

“The Department of Public Expenditure want savings to be made,” county registrar Padraig Burke confirmed.

Voters will be placing the ballot papers for both the European and the local electoral areas into the same box in the 216 polling booths in Kerry.

There is to be just one centre for the opening of ballot boxes, and separation of European and local area ballot papers.

All four electoral districts, including Listowel and Tralee and the new area of South and West Kerry, which stretches across three peninsulas from Dingle to Kenmare, as well as Killarney which extends to the Cork borders, will see the ballot boxes brought to one centre — the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre on the Killarney bypass. This is where tallies will be taken.

After separation in Killarney, the European papers will be brought to Nemo Rangers centre in Cork by the army, and the Tralee and Listowel local papers will go back to Tralee to the John Mitchels GAA Complex.

It will be at least 6pm on Saturday before the local election count will begin under local electoral returning officers John Flynn in Killarney and Michael McMahon in Tralee.

It is unlikely the count will go beyond a first count, at which point it will be adjourned to Sunday.

The number of polling stations remains the same, but polling booths have been cut by 42. This is to accommodate more voters per booth and it means that each polling booth in larger centres of population will now have to accommodate around 150 more voters — up to 750 voters per booth.

The reduction in booths is leading to fears voters who come late may miss the chance to vote as queues form outside stations towards closing time of 10pm when there is a traditional surge in Kerry.

Mr Burke is encouraging the public to vote early, to avoid missing out.

Counting staff have been reduced by between 15 and 20 they will have to do more work for less money, Mr Burke confirmed.