Finding out -who- voted in a given election?

Coriolanus

Is it possible that the record of who voted in a given election is kept? I know there's no way to find out how they voted since the physical votes are destroyed anyway.

Even if it's not generally possible, is it possible just for oneself? For example if you were registered to vote but hadn't voted in a particular election.

Ie: is there a way to backtrace things to see if fraud is going on with ones vote?

PCPhoto

well.... I don't know if a record is kept - or made public ...but I vaguely remember you have to register to vote and when you arrive you let them know ...I mean you let them know ...by using your polling card.

(if that makes sense)

you need to turn up and give your polling card and show ID - so they know you are who you are and they tick you off a list of registered voters.

zig

afaik you can, I remember my mate who was a councillor talking about this before.(sorry bit vague I know, still not too sure tbh)

Coriolanus

Yeah, it's the ticked off list of registered voters that I'm interested in.

It's really just a curio. Someone in AH mentioned that he was registered, gets polling cards etc but has never personally registered himself.

I'd be interested to see how many people are similarly registered without action of their own, and if there's any kind of fraud going on with all of them.

zig

I never did anything to be registered. Like that AH poster I just got a card in the door when there was a referendum/GE after I was 18.

Capt'n Midnight

Vote Early, Vote Often


Once upon a time each ballot card was numbered so it was possible to find out which way everyone voted.

steelcityblues

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Vote Early, Vote Often


Once upon a time each ballot card was numbered so it was possible to find out which way everyone voted.

Or in the late Pat O'Connor's case it was: 'Vote early, vote twice!'

LostinBlanch

Well to answer your question, you can buy a list of voters who voted after elections. If you purchase these for each constituency you can drill down to find out how many people voted a particular way per ballot box. Each ballot box is limited to a certain geographic area - so you can have a very good idea of who voted which way in a certain street etc.

Mary O'Rourke let that cat out of the bag about 5 years ago, but it was on Marian Finucane so nobody was listening!

As for possible voter fraud. I've heard a number of people say "yes it's time to clean up regularise the electoral register" the last of them being Gormley. But here we are with still the same register and feck all done about it.

Now to me that tells me, that the current situation suits the powers that be. If all these phantom votes were going to SF or the like then things would change pronto.

The dead don't vote in opinion polls, only elections!

phantom_lord

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Well to answer your question, you can buy a list of voters who voted after elections. If you purchase these for each constituency you can drill down to find out how many people voted a particular way per ballot box. Each ballot box is limited to a certain geographic area - so you can have a very good idea of who voted which way in a certain street etc.

Mary O'Rourke let that cat out of the bag about 5 years ago, but it was on Marian Finucane so nobody was listening!

Really? Any more details on this?

smallBiscuit

Nevore wrote: »

Yeah, it's the ticked off list of registered voters that I'm interested in.

It's really just a curio. Someone in AH mentioned that he was registered, gets polling cards etc but has never personally registered himself.

I'd be interested to see how many people are similarly registered without action of their own, and if there's any kind of fraud going on with all of them.

It's not elvis or aliens trying to take over the country doing it, its politicians who are registering you (or was in my case)
I moved into my home about 5 years ago, a local councilor registered the new address for me - hoping i'd vote for him I assume, but I didn't, i went to vote with no idea who I wanted, but knew who I definitely didn't (that lying toe-rag)

Bob Z

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Well to answer your question, you can buy a list of voters who voted after elections. If you purchase these for each constituency you can drill down to find out how many people voted a particular way per ballot box. Each ballot box is limited to a certain geographic area - so you can have a very good idea of who voted which way in a certain street etc.

Mary O'Rourke let that cat out of the bag about 5 years ago, but it was on Marian Finucane so nobody was listening!

As for possible voter fraud. I've heard a number of people say "yes it's time to clean up regularise the electoral register" the last of them being Gormley. But here we are with still the same register and feck all done about it.

Now to me that tells me, that the current situation suits the powers that be. If all these phantom votes were going to SF or the like then things would change pronto.

The dead don't vote in opinion polls, only elections!

any sources for this?

unit 1

PCPhoto wrote: »

well.... I don't know if a record is kept - or made public ...but I vaguely remember you have to register to vote and when you arrive you let them know ...I mean you let them know ...by using your polling card.

(if that makes sense)

you need to turn up and give your polling card and show ID - so they know you are who you are and they tick you off a list of registered voters.

That's correct, you arrive at the polling station, hand in your polling card and are marked off a list, then you are handed a stamped ballot paper that has a number on the back of it (they did every time I voted anyway) and put it into a specific ballot box which is also readily identifiable.
Now afaik this in all done in front of the personation officers there at the behest of the political parties so the following ideas has occured to me.

The poll essentially consists of two lists.
1. A list of the voters and the order they arrived and cast their votes. (this could easily be compiled by local knowledge, as each voter identifies themselves, so you only have to know in what sequence they cast their ballots)
2. A list of the ballot papers. As I said, each ballot paper has a number so you only need to know the first or last number. (in a conspiracy you could get a person to secretly mark their paper and give you the number)

Therefore you have the scenario if a party can see a ballot box's papers they can match both of the above lists (they only have to do it once as it's sequential) and determine how a particular person voted. If I am not mistaken they could do this when the box's are open for the first time (in front of the tallymen) and all the ballots sorted, or at a later stage if they got access to them.
I'm not saying that they do this, but I think the above scenario is feasible.

Coriolanus

Sounds feasible but what would be the benefit to finding out who voted?

I'd think it a lot more likely that there are hordes of registered non-voters who "vote", especially given that the poll wardens are usually local people of some connection. Yes there are Gardai on duty, but not all day at every station as far as I know.

It wouldn't be difficult at all for a voter to be given a sheaf to fill out, with the poll warden facilitating it. I know they already have numbers as to how many vote between time x and y etc so they coordinate the action to the least active period.

Raging_Ninja

unit 1 wrote: »

That's correct, you arrive at the polling station, hand in your polling card and are marked off a list, then you are handed a stamped ballot paper that has a number on the back of it (they did every time I voted anyway) and put it into a specific ballot box which is also readily identifiable.
Now afaik this in all done in front of the personation officers there at the behest of the political parties so the following ideas has occured to me.

The poll essentially consists of two lists.
1. A list of the voters and the order they arrived and cast their votes. (this could easily be compiled by local knowledge, as each voter identifies themselves, so you only have to know in what sequence they cast their ballots)
2. A list of the ballot papers. As I said, each ballot paper has a number so you only need to know the first or last number. (in a conspiracy you could get a person to secretly mark their paper and give you the number)

Therefore you have the scenario if a party can see a ballot box's papers they can match both of the above lists (they only have to do it once as it's sequential) and determine how a particular person voted. If I am not mistaken they could do this when the box's are open for the first time (in front of the tallymen) and all the ballots sorted, or at a later stage if they got access to them.
I'm not saying that they do this, but I think the above scenario is feasible.

Not necessarily true. The register of electors is there, and the names are ticked off. But to the best of my recollection there is no stipulation in the book that a voter must have a polling card, nor is it mentioned that the polling cards must be placed in any particular order (just that the polling cards are placed into the envelope, sealed and sent with the ballot box). All a voter needs is some form of identification (passport, driver's license, etc) and, I think, proof of address.

Personation officers are not allowed to leave the polling station with any records they have created in the station. if I recall the book correctly the only thing a personation officer is allowed to do is to ask the presiding officer to check somebody's identification. As far as I know, that is all they can do - they are there on an observation basis only (the idea being to tell everybody that the voting was free and not rigged).

At the end of the day, ballot box is locked up and, at least where I'm from, it is sent to the Garda station to spend the night before being transported to the counting center.

I haven't been at a count, but from what I gather, the only people allowed near the counting areas are those carrying out the counts themselves. Observers have to keep a minimum distance away from that area.