Opposition motion on electronic voting defeated in Dáil

The Government has defeated an opposition motion calling for electronic voting to be deferred until an independent electoral commission has been established to oversee it.

The motion tabled by Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Green Party was defeated by 59 votes to 55.

Speaking for the Government, Junior Minister Pat "the Cope" Gallagher accused the opposition of trying to cast a shadow over a perfectly good system.

He also said he believed the public was happy with the electronic voting system, despite the absence of a paper trail to verify results.

However, Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen said the opposition would continue to press the issue until an independent body had been established to allay concerns about possible electoral fraud.