National Archives 1985: 80% of Donegal postal vote applications invalid
Confidential government documents show that four fifths of the applications were ruled as invalid, and only 634 out of 3,274 applicants from Co Donegal were entitled to a vote.
A Garda investigation into the matter was initiated in June 1985 on foot of a complaint by the secretary of Donegal County Council. It uncovered serious questions about the authenticity of signatures and the occupation of many applicants. In many cases, different ink was used between the completion and signing of the forms.
Further suspicion arose after some people denied ever having made an application when a council official returned forms seeking further information.
Others returned different occupations to their original application, while some alleged witnesses to applicants’ signatures denied they had in fact witnessed such signatures.
In one instance, a council official who called to an address from which a number of applications had allegedly emanated. He found the premises occupied by students who had no knowledge of the forms. They had apparently been approached by an unidentified male who advised them to say that they had made the applications and that the ballot papers would be collected from them when they arrived.
The Government memo indicated that gardaí were going to investigate 2,640 questionable applications.
The greatest proportion of suspect forms came from the Glenties and Milford electoral areas.
In a preliminary report to the Department of Justice, Chief Superintendent A J Murtagh of Letterkenny Garda station said the suspected irregularities did not seem to have been organised by a central or individual organisation.
