How best to use my two votes

Canaboid

I got my polling card for my new address delivered. I also got a seperate one sent to my old (parents address), I'm guessing I could vote twice if I so wished. Does this not seem a bit, I don't know, unconstitutional/worrying/incompetent ?
How widespread is this, could it be open to abuse ?

As far as I can remember I filled out whatever form was sent out months back to register my change of address but can't remember if it included details of my old registration address.
Both cards are for the same constituency.

FX Meister

Sure why not use both of them. A Fine Gael candidate and his wife deliberately did this in the last local elections. Registering both his and his wife at their address and again at his home address using their names in Irish. Use your other vote to double your say on who get to run the country.

Agent J

FX Meister wrote:

Sure why not use both of them. A Fine Gael candidate and his wife deliberately did this in the last local elections. Registering both his and his wife at their address and again at his home address using their names in Irish. Use your other vote to double your say on who get to run the country.

Really? Where they prosecuted for it? If not they should have been.

Personally i believe that if you vote twice intentionally then you are guilty of treason and should be treated very harshly such as 5 years in jail.

Yes it is an over the top reaction but it should served to discourgae anyone to do it.

jhegarty

FX Meister wrote:

Sure why not use both of them. A Fine Gael candidate and his wife deliberately did this in the last local elections. Registering both his and his wife at their address and again at his home address using their names in Irish. Use your other vote to double your say on who get to run the country.

Do you have a link to backup this very serious accusation ?

SeanW

FX Meister wrote:

Sure why not use both of them. A Fine Gael candidate and his wife deliberately did this in the last local elections. Registering both his and his wife at their address and again at his home address using their names

Interesting how a relatively new user comes in to spread unsubstantiated allegtions against unnamed FG candidates. I don't expect there is much in the way of detail/substantiation?

in Irish.

You sure that's not Michael McDowell? Oh, forgot, he only uses the Irish language to introduce bills he doesn't want debate on, like survaillance legislation and whatnot.

Zaph

Sell your second vote on eBay. With the polls so tight I'm sure all the parties would love to buy an extra vote for themselves.

SeanW wrote:

Interesting how a relatively new user comes in to spread unsubstantiated allegtions against unnamed FG candidates. I don't expect there is much in the way of detail/substantiation?

Relatively new? You did notice that FX Meister is here longer than you, didn't you?

nesf

I think I'm in the same position but my parents live in a different constituency. No question really, I'll vote once here and that'll be it.

brianthebard

Contact a paper or media outlet to show that the registry problems haven't been fixed, even when you try to get it fixed by getting a change of address form?

LostinBlanch

Ask Pat O'Connor, Pat O'Connor. He'll tell you what to do with your second vote.

Agent J, just in case youdon't know he was caught in the act of voting a second time. He was also CJ Haugheys election agent, sos tragnely enough got nothing more than a slap on the wrist (and the nickname John O'Connor, John O'Connor of course).

Of course him being a FFcuker that was seen more as a badge of honour rather than any shame.

Time Magazine

Same situation with my sister, registered here and her constituency two miles down the road.

Quite interesting though that if you check the register online she's not there - she uses her Irish name and the search can't recognise fadas.

jb91

LostinBlanch wrote:

Of course him being a FFcuker that was seen more as a badge of honour rather than any shame.

I thought the term was Fianna Failure...?

leche solara

Want to be careful here.
Boards could be in trouble for encouraging someone to vote twice, when its illegal

Fremen

Sell one on ebay?

FX Meister

SeanW wrote:

Interesting how a relatively new user comes in to spread unsubstantiated allegtions against unnamed FG candidates. I don't expect there is much in the way of detail/substantiation?

What makes you think I'm new? I've been here longer than you, post count aside.

FX Meister

jhegarty wrote:

Do you have a link to backup this very serious accusation ?

It was in the last local elections. I had a copy of the electoral register at the time and that's where I saw it. I'll see if I still have it at home and I'll scan the details and post them. As far as I know he pulled this stunt on his own and when Fine Gael found out he got rapped on the knuckles from them and it was sorted out before voting day.

Lennoxschips

i don't have a vote, you could vote for me

nesf

LostinBlanch wrote:

Of course him being a FFcuker that was seen more as a badge of honour rather than any shame.

Really, was that necessary? Name calling is childish.

SeanW

FX Meister wrote:

What makes you think I'm new? I've been here longer than you, post count aside.

My bad, I glanced too quickly at your stats. I stand over the rest of it though.

passive

FX Meister
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhegarty
Do you have a link to backup this very serious accusation ?
It was in the last local elections. I had a copy of the electoral register at the time and that's where I saw it. I'll see if I still have it at home and I'll scan the details and post them. As far as I know he pulled this stunt on his own and when Fine Gael found out he got rapped on the knuckles from them and it was sorted out before voting day.

That last bit of the story seems kinda important and should probably have gone in your first post about it...

lucernarian

LostinBlanch wrote:

Ask John O'Connor, John O'Connor. He'll tell you what to do with your second vote.

Agent J, just in case youdon't know he was caught in the act of voting a second time. He was also CJ Haugheys election agent, sos tragnely enough got nothing more than a slap on the wrist (and the nickname John O'Connor, John O'Connor of course).

Of course him being a FFcuker that was seen more as a badge of honour rather than any shame.

Please, if you've only insults to hurl at a member of a political party, then keep them to yourself.

Members of FF can and do criticise members of their own party.

jb91

I just heard a load of callers on FM104 saying they'd received at least 2 voting cards with names in Irish, names spelt differently and one guy got a voting card for his 4 year old son.

:rolleyes:

jhegarty

passive wrote:

That last bit of the story seems kinda important and should probably have gone in your first post about it...

I don't know about anyone else but I presumed his first post said they voted twice (illegal) and not that they were registered twice like lots of people are....

johnlambe

I don't know why they don't use RSI numbers on the electoral register.
FF/PDs could easily have resolved this problem and didn't.

As for voting twice, it depends on whether you support democracy.

(Here we have people talking about voting twice and a lot of people don't even vote once. )

ednwireland

vote early vote often i say !

mind you it is illegal with a possible jail sentence

RainyDay

LostinBlanch wrote:

Ask John O'Connor, John O'Connor. He'll tell you what to do with your second vote.

Agent J, just in case youdon't know he was caught in the act of voting a second time. He was also CJ Haugheys election agent, sos tragnely enough got nothing more than a slap on the wrist (and the nickname John O'Connor, John O'Connor of course).

'twas Pat, Pat O'Connor, not John, John. His daughter Niamh worked in the FF press office before moving onto a career in crime journalism

LostinBlanch

LostinBlanch wrote:

Ask John O'Connor, John O'Connor. He'll tell you what to do with your second vote.

I suspect any agent of Charlie Haughey's called John O'Connor may just have established grounds to send out a nasty Solicitor's letter to Boards.ie!!

Pat O'Connor Pat O'Connor, on the other hand...

LostinBlanch

RainyDay wrote:

'twas Pat, Pat O'Connor, not John, John. His daughter Niamh worked in the FF press office before moving onto a career in crime journalism

My mistake. Abject apologies to any election agent of CJ's called John O'Connor reading this, my mistake. It was Pat O'Connor. Just goes to show I should have not relied on memory, and should have checked before posting tongue in cheek.

Conor, wasn't my intention to cause any solicitors letters to go to anyone. I enjoy the banter on here and was taking part in what I thought was a humourous way. I wouldn't want this to adversely affect boards.ie or any political debate on here.

Thank you both for bringing this to my attention and giving me the chance to correct it.

I'll go off into the bold corner now.

EDIT: This has shown me to think twice before posting in haste! Once again abject apologies.

Victor Meldrew

johnlambe wrote:

As for voting twice, it depends on whether you support democracy.

(Here we have people talking about voting twice and a lot of people don't even vote once. )

Bit like the govt disenfranchising students by holding the election on a thursday in exam season.....

that's hardly democratic......... :mad:

Stark

Are the polls open for the whole day or just "business hours"? Because if it's just business hours, then a lot of 9-5 people will get screwed as well.

Hippo

Anyway it was Pat O'Connor Pat O'Connor

LostinBlanch

Stark wrote:

Are the polls open for the whole day or just "business hours"? Because if it's just business hours, then a lot of 9-5 people will get screwed as well.

Stark,

AFAIK polls are open until about 9pm I think.

daymobrew

Stark wrote:

Are the polls open for the whole day or just "business hours"? Because if it's just business hours, then a lot of 9-5 people will get screwed as well.

My polling station in Dublin 15 is open from 7:30am until 10:30pm.

Stark

That's cool. I don't have to take time off work so.

LostinBlanch

LostinBlanch wrote:

Abject apologies to any election agent of CJ's called John O'Connor reading this, my mistake.

I wouldn't get too worried, it's an easy enough mistake. And I certainly wouldn't apologise to the Haughey mafia if I were you and simply mistook one Christian name for another! Those who remember those times knew who you were talking about anyway. I was just flagging it.

RuggieBear

brother got two polling cards....same constituency just different polling stations.

Stark

Myself and the rest of the family used to get two polling cards each in my old consituency. One to our address, and one to our address but with a slight spelling error.

We used to also get two copies of every piece of junk mail, and one copy would have the address with the exact misspelling as on the electoral register. Needless to say, I made sure to opt out of the edited register this time round.

Victor Meldrew

7.30am to 22.00pm for all,

vote people...

LostinBlanch

Deleted User wrote:

I wouldn't get too worried, it's an easy enough mistake. And I certainly wouldn't apologise to the Haughey mafia if I were you and simply mistook one Christian name for another! Those who remember those times knew who you were talking about anyway. I was just flagging it.

fair enough Conor. But I wouldn't want to affect the forum or boards.ie. The craic is too good!

Punchbowl

"That's cool. I don't have to take time off work so."

Of course your employers are legally obliged to allow you leave work to vote. Just something to think about if you fancy an hour off

daymobrew

Canaboid wrote:

I got my polling card for my new address delivered. I also got a seperate one sent to my old (parents address), I'm guessing I could vote twice if I so wished.

The Electoral Act 1992 says that it is illegal to vote twice.

Personation.
134.—(1) ( b ) A person who having obtained a ballot paper once at a Dáil election applies at the same election for a ballot paper in his own name (otherwise than under section 102), shall be guilty of the offence of personation.

The penalties are up to £2500 and/or up to 2 years in prison. You can be charged up to 12 months after the offence. Section 102 is to allow for a second ballot paper when you accidentally spoil your first one.

The Irish Statute Book site is a great resource. It has all the Acts of the Oireachtas and Statutory Instruments from 1922 to 2005. And a good search facility.