I'm registered to vote?!

stefanovich · 29-05-2012 10:05am #1

Hi all,
Last year while I was at work someone called to the door asking if anyone in the house wanted to register to vote. My French girlfriend had answered the door and said that her Irish boyfriend (me) was probably registered although we had just moved house so the address might need to be updated.

I have never registered and never intended to register. When she told me what had happened my immediate feeling was that this was probably some scammer looking for peoples details.

Turns out I was wrong. Sure enough a voting card arrived at the door with my misspelled name. (There was a letter missing)

The proof needed to vote seems laughable, credit card and proof of address???

How about proof of being Irish?

I wonder how many people who shouldn't be voting actually are. She could probably have registered herself....

I was reminded of this because I have just received another card for the upcoming referendum.

You should not be allowed to register someone else without their knowledge. You should not be able to register without proof of your eligibility to vote. The proof at the booth should be Irish passport only.

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fasttalkerchat · 29-05-2012 11:38pm

The declaration has to be signed at a Garda station in the presence of a garda (who also signs the form).

Possibly she was asked if you had your card and they sent you out a new card?

Check to see if you're on the last here: http://www.checktheregister.ie/PublicPages/Default.aspx?uiLang=

To thank me you can vote no :P

stefanovich · 30-05-2012 2:21am

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

The declaration has to be signed at a Garda station in the presence of a garda (who also signs the form).

Possibly she was asked if you had your card and they sent you out a new card?

Check to see if you're on the last here: http://www.checktheregister.ie/PublicPages/Default.aspx?uiLang=

To thank me you can vote no :P

I will vote no if they let me but my name is misspelt. No one of that name exists. Somebody broke the rules in this case then. I have made a point not to register. I never went to a Garda station to sign anything. Maybe I should go there now and report electoral fraud.

fasttalkerchat · 30-05-2012 2:26am

stefanovich wrote: »

I will vote no if they let me but my name is misspelt. No one of that name exists. Somebody broke the rules in this case then. I have made a point not to register. I never went to a Garda station to sign anything. Maybe I should go there now and report electoral fraud.

Was your name on that list I posted in the link? Check both spellings.

stefanovich · 30-05-2012 2:31am

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

stefanovich wrote: »

I will vote no if they let me but my name is misspelt. No one of that name exists. Somebody broke the rules in this case then. I have made a point not to register. I never went to a Garda station to sign anything. Maybe I should go there now and report electoral fraud.

Was your name on that list I posted in the link? Check both spellings.

Yes the misspelling is there.

im invisible · 30-05-2012 2:35am

You dont have to go to the Gardai or sign anything to be registered, your local TD will register you if you promise to give him a vote* thats what happened me, and probably everyone in my family

*

fasttalkerchat · 30-05-2012 2:46am

I was wrong, there are alternatives if you can give a reason why you couldn't go to a garda station. Here is the form: http://www.checktheregister.ie/appforms/RFA2%20English%20-%20form.pdf

I still don't see how someone could register you without your signature!

stefanovich · 30-05-2012 9:45am

Just how secure is our voting system?

Hotblack Desiato · 30-05-2012 11:58pm

No Irish citizen has to go to a Garda station to register, and I doubt anyone else does either.
The council sends a form, someone in the house fills in the form and posts it, done.

Hotblack Desiato · 30-05-2012 11:59pm

stefanovich wrote: »

Just how secure is our voting system?

The phrase 'vote early, vote often' isn't fictional...

Sierra Oscar · 31-05-2012 12:47am

im invisible wrote: »

You dont have to go to the Gardai or sign anything to be registered, your local TD will register you if you promise to give him a vote* thats what happened me, and probably everyone in my family

*

Indeed, councillors in particular know the tricks of the trade - especially with postal votes. Councillors sort out postal votes for elderly people and get the vote in return - many 'offer' to even assist people filling in the postal votes and sending them off.

johngalway · 31-05-2012 2:13am

ninja900 wrote: »

The phrase 'vote early, vote often' isn't fictional...

My parents both have two polling cards, however, being from a small village and everybody knowing everybody voting early and voting often wouldn't work in their case.

matrim · 31-05-2012 10:52am

I only found out about a month ago that I am registered twice. I registered myself in Dublin and someone else registered me in my home town.

I'm pretty sure it's a local councillor who has done it before for people who he thinks will vote for him. (Note: he wouldn't have registered me twice deliberately, he probably didn't realise I had registered myself)

laoch na mona · 31-05-2012 3:43pm

miss-spelt names are common and you cant registrer unless your qualified to vote

stefanovich · 31-05-2012 3:45pm

laoch na mona wrote: »

miss-spelt names are common and you cant registrer unless your qualified to vote

How do they determine if you are qualified to vote?

kebris · 31-05-2012 3:57pm

"I have never registered and never intended to register."

Why would you not want to vote?
There are many, many folk around the world who would just love to be in your position, and be able to vote.

Was watching the news last week, and it was stated that Egyptian voters queued for anything up to 6 hours in up to 40degreesC to be able to cast their vote in the first very "free" presidential election. Regrettably .. we'll never see anything like that here - regardless of what we think of our "politicians".

laoch na mona · 31-05-2012 4:07pm

stefanovich wrote: »

How do they determine if you are qualified to vote?

you have to be over 18 obviously
and only Irish, British and EU citizens can vote
and EU and British citizens can only vote in certain elections

clappyhappy · 31-05-2012 4:21pm

My OH is Scottish well British really and he is registered to vote here. I was always under the impression that he could only vote in some elections. But he received a voting card for the presidential election last Nov, my neighbour who is English (British also) didn't get one. I don't know how he got to vote in it, it was a family friend that registered us when we returned to live here. Obviously there are a lot of discrepancies in the registering of voters. But at least he will always go and vote, non voters annoy me, they are the ones always complaining about governments, policies, etc. By using your vote you can change that.

stefanovich · 31-05-2012 5:34pm

kebris wrote: »

"I have never registered and never intended to register."

Why would you not want to vote?
There are many, many folk around the world who would just love to be in your position, and be able to vote.

Was watching the news last week, and it was stated that Egyptian voters queued for anything up to 6 hours in up to 40degreesC to be able to cast their vote in the first very "free" presidential election. Regrettably .. we'll never see anything like that here - regardless of what we think of our "politicians".

I have oft received this condemnation. It is comparable to my grandmother telling me to finish my dinner and think about "all the starving children in Africa". The same rules to not apply. This is not Egypt.

I am disillusioned with the quality of candidates in this country and do not align with any of the parties involved. I do not agree with the "tactical voting" argument. I would only give my vote to a candidate I believed in.

I am glad to have the option to exercise my vote if the fancy takes me. In fact I plan to attempt a big fat NO vote today with my dodgy card.

I am also discouraged by the low-quality voter base! Why do I need to share my democracy with them?? :P

laoch na mona wrote: »

you have to be over 18 obviously
and only Irish, British and EU citizens can vote
and EU and British citizens can only vote in certain elections

Okay. So in my specific case, did someone do a background check to ensure this? Where is this information held?

stefanovich · 31-05-2012 5:38pm

clappyhappy wrote: »

My OH is Scottish well British really and he is registered to vote here. I was always under the impression that he could only vote in some elections. But he received a voting card for the presidential election last Nov, my neighbour who is English (British also) didn't get one. I don't know how he got to vote in it, it was a family friend that registered us when we returned to live here. Obviously there are a lot of discrepancies in the registering of voters. But at least he will always go and vote, non voters annoy me, they are the ones always complaining about governments, policies, etc. By using your vote you can change that.

So that is at least one person in the country voting without the right to. I wonder how many others. I wonder how many vote multiple times. I wonder if any politicians have tried to exploit this to their advantage. (Of course they wouldn't seeing how devoid of corruption they are)

Shouldn't this mess be sorted out before we vote on anything?

Hotblack Desiato · 31-05-2012 8:10pm

laoch na mona wrote: »

you have to be over 18 obviously
and only Irish, British and EU citizens can vote
and EU and British citizens can only vote in certain elections

Yes but this is done on the basis of self-declaration. There are no checks done (AFAIK) when you are put on the register, but polling agents of candidates/parties can challenge (to the returning officer) the entitlement of people to be on the register when it is published.

It is a mess. A PPSN should be required to get on the register and no duplicates should be permitted (with the possible exception of students, but voting at weekends makes more sense anyway.)

stefanovich · 31-05-2012 8:41pm

ninja900 wrote: »

laoch na mona wrote: »

you have to be over 18 obviously
and only Irish, British and EU citizens can vote
and EU and British citizens can only vote in certain elections

Yes but this is done on the basis of self-declaration. There are no checks done (AFAIK) when you are put on the register, but polling agents of candidates/parties can challenge (to the returning officer) the entitlement of people to be on the register when it is published.

It is a mess. A PPSN should be required to get on the register and no duplicates should be permitted (with the possible exception of students, but voting at weekends makes more sense anyway.)

Just back after successfully voting no

No one asked to see id. He asked me: "Are you Mr. Xxxxx?". I didn't correct him but just said yes. Ridiculous. Where do I go to complain? Why are other people not angry about this?

Hotblack Desiato · 31-05-2012 10:03pm

stefanovich · 01-06-2012 8:13am

ninja900 wrote: »

So you've just admitted on Boards that you committed a criminal act?

No I am entitled to vote, it's just I didn't register myself and my name had a slight misspelling on the polling card.

Hotblack Desiato · 01-06-2012 8:22am

Sorry, thought you'd said in your OP that you weren't entitled to be registered.

John Mason · 01-06-2012 8:30am

we got asked for ID last night which was the first time ever. i think they were just so bored as the place was deserted.

My husband is registered at our address but his local TD appeared to register him again at his parents address a few years ago. He takes himself off the register and it magically appears again.

so he now has two votes and if he wasnt so lazy, he would probably use them both.

Hotblack Desiato · 01-06-2012 8:43am

Lots of people have two votes due to crap like that, it should be illegal for anyone except the voter themselves to put their name on the register.

Hopefully these votes go unused, but this is still a bad thing as it makes the turnout look a lot lower than it really is, and there's always the possibility that anyone who knows Joe Soap used to live in such-and-such a place could try to impersonate him.

Lots of dead people still on the register too...

nommm · 02-06-2012 1:35am

stefanovich wrote: »

Just how secure is our voting system?

Not very. I work as a polling clerk every election and a huge number of people come in and tell us that they received 2 polling cards, one a their new address and one at their old. Surely they could eliminate this by using peoples PPS numbers on the register.

nommm · 02-06-2012 1:39am

stefanovich wrote: »

Just back after successfully voting no No one asked to see id. He asked me: "Are you Mr. Xxxxx?". I didn't correct him but just said yes. Ridiculous. Where do I go to complain? Why are other people not angry about this?

They're only required to ask 1 in 4 people for ID.

I'm registered to vote?!

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