Offensive wording causes row in North

A row has blown up in the North after it was discovered that laws banning mentally disabled people from voting refer to them as "idiots and lunatics".

The SDLP is demanding the ban be lifted and the language used in the legislation changed.

Tighter laws governing voting in the North means each individual has to sign a vote application form.

This has led to mentally disabled people who cannot sign their own names being barred from voting.

According to the Electoral Commission, anyone with mental disabilities cannot vote at a general election, under common law, if they are incapable of making a reasoned judgement on polling day.

The row has deepened after the SDLP discovered that the words used to bar the mentally disabled refer to them as "idiots and lunatics".

The SDLP's Patsy McGlone is demanding the offensive reference be removed from official guidelines.

He said it was incredibly insulting to mentally disabled people and their families.