Postal vote answer to polling day uncertainty

THE prolonged and needless delay in selecting an exact date in June for the EU Reform Treaty referendum points to the need for postal voting in Ireland.

Our society is far more mobile than ever before.

Families do not wait until the school summer holidays to go on trips — those without children might book a trip months before to take advantage of a bargain offer.

Anyone who travels for business reasons knows such meetings can be scheduled either a year earlier or at the last minute.

At present I believe postal voting is only available to an extremely limited number of enrolled voters. The public debate about the EU Reform Treaty, as with the general election last year, began in the calendar year before the vote.

But in each case the announcement of the actual voting date was, and is, something of a last-minute affair.

It would be a great service to our democracy if the postal option was available to all registered voters for all elections and referenda.

Dan Donovan

Shandon Street

Dungarvan

Co Waterford