The voting register

evil_seed

My brother and one of my cousins went to vote today. They found out when at the polling station they were not on the register. They've voted in previous general elections and referendums. Anyone else removed from the register? How and why did this happen?

Beechwoodspark

If they were on it before that’s very odd

Mint Sauce

This is why you check the Register prior to each vote for each vote. Who knows why you might be removed, but only takes a minute to heck to be sure.

verycool

TheValeyard

Why didn't they check????

kneemos

The council occasionally send folk door to door to check the register against property occupants. If they had moved since they last voted it's possible they could have been removed .

Mint Sauce

kneemos wrote: »

The council occasionally send folk door to door to check the register against property occupants. If they had moved since they last voted it's possible they could have been removed .

Very ocassionally as well, if there are 2 or more booths at your local polling centre, you could be at a different booth for the next vote.

munchkin_utd

evil_seed wrote: »

My brother and one of my cousins went to vote today. They found out when at the polling station they were not on the register. They've voted in previous general elections and referendums. Anyone else removed from the register? How and why did this happen?

A ) are you actually living at home?
And if not
B ) did your mother / father have a visit from the local person in charge of making sure the register is correct and tell them you and the brothers were actually living somewhere else ?

I was on the register at home, and my
Mother told the guy the first time he visited that I was away temporarily so I stayed on the register.
The next time she realised I was not coming back, so told him I was gone and I was taken off the register.

A lad up the road from my parents is away from home now for 23 years, and his folks make sure he stays on the register . Is all about the parents!

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Guy:Incognito

Is there any logistical reason registration couldn't be done on the day if needed? A table in the corner of each polling station with someone doing the paperwork and a gard.

People would probably be more likely to register and vote if it was an option rather than having to go to effort outside of a vote runup.

I was added to the register 20 years ago at my front door by a neighbour canvassing for sf. Otherwise I may well have been lazy right up till 2015.

amcalester

Patww79 wrote: »

2 won't make a difference anyway so I'd tell them not to sweat it.

I was removed when I left the country about 15 years ago but they mustn't do that any more when all this shower were allowed to swan back in to vote, so I'm not sure how they'd be removed nowadays.

A fella called to my parents door once when I was visiting and asked who was living there.

I had been on the register but told him I was no longer living there so he crossed my name off.

I re-registered for the SSM referendum at a different address after I’d moved back to Ireland, but for yer man I’d probably still be registered at my parents.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Nettle Soup

People get removed from the register by different political parties if they are known to be away/dead and the family are known to be of a certain political persuasion. It's a game of cat and mouse for all the local candidates. They are not required to tell you either.

You have no idea on how much political parties study the registers using local reps/councillors.

TheValeyard

Nettle Soup wrote: »

People get removed from the register by different political parties if they are known to be away and the family are known to be of a certain political persuasion.

You have no idea on how much political parties study the registers using local reps.

Any actual proof of this?

Ted_YNWA

I asked them to remove me when I moved counties a few years ago.

Muppets must have thought i was joking, so they added me to it. So I ended up being on it twice back in parents.

My father used to get 3 cards.
First Name - Surname,
First Name-Middle Name-Surname
Middle Name- First Name - Surname

I think he is down to just 2 now.

The whole register is a joke.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

amcalester

Patww79 wrote: »

I thought the rumours that both sides were getting people removed from the register were proven false as it couldn't be done by a 3rd party, so how can some lad at your parents door get someone removed then?

Not sure to be honest, I was living away and had been for a few years and so was happy to remove myself.

I can’t even remember if he had ID, thinking back it may have been very naive/stupid of me. He could’ve been anyone.

kneemos

Patww79 wrote: »

So third parties can get someone removed from the register? Complete joke shop then.

No. He's having fantasies.

Nettle Soup

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

Any actual proof of this?

A local Cllr told me it happens all the time. A lot of them actually work in or closely with the County/City Council. Her did not give me written proof and I did not ask for it.

Always check the register.

I will be at the count tomorrow and will ask again.

OldMrBrennan83

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Hector Bellend

They would normally have received a polling card wouldnt they?

The fact that they hadnt should have set alarm bells off

Mint Sauce

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

I asked them to remove me when I moved counties a few years ago.

Muppets must have thought i was joking, so they added me to it. So I ended up being on it twice back in parents.

My father used to get 3 cards.
First Name - Surname,
First Name-Middle Name-Surname
Middle Name- First Name - Surname

I think he is down to just 2 now.

The whole register is a joke.

I had three at one point as well.

One with first and last name, second with first, middle, and last. Both at parents.

Third at my own address.

gozunda

evil_seed wrote: »

My brother and one of my cousins went to vote today. They found out when at the polling station they were not on the register. They've voted in previous general elections and referendums. Anyone else removed from the register? How and why did this happen?

Did they recieve their voting cards? If not - why not check with the voting register prior to today?

Why turn up to vote with no voting card - that makes no sense ...

Raging_Ninja

gozunda wrote: »

Did they recieve their voting cards? If not - why not check with the voting register prior to today?

Why turn up to vote with no voting card - that makes no sense ...

You don't need a voting card to vote so long as you are on the register of electors, you just need photo ID.

misstearheus

I'm registered in my current town. And I'm registered at my Home-Address twice with both my Common-usage name and my Birth-name. So I have 3 Polling Cards. I can't even find myself on checktheregister.ie. :rolleyes: But I do get occasional correspondence from the County Council about Supplementary Registers etc. Towns and Villages not being spelt correctly and missing letters on Google Maps and Phone GPS is for another day! :rolleyes:

It says on the Polling Card ya don't need it, but when I went in, the peeps on the 1st Counter took it off me and then told me to bring it over to the peeps at the Second Counter and they kept it. Have a feeling I wouldn't have been able to vote without it. Also the Voting Booths are very very questionable in my place! They're not closed-in at all and very public, very easy to see a person's card!

Guy:Incognito

Have they mentioned anything about doing it by eircode. That would sort all the misspelling of roads, towns etc.

_Dara_

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Any ordinarily resident #hometovoters were eligible.

Yer Da sells Avon

I had two votes in the 2007 election. One in Wicklow and one in Laois. Ended up using the Laois one because I couldn't justify a three-hour round trip for the sake of a bit of electoral fraud.

_Dara_

Hapax Legomenon wrote: »

I had two votes in the 2007 election. One in Wicklow and one in Laois. Ended up using the Laois one because I couldn't justify a three-hour round trip for the sake of a bit of electoral fraud.

My dad has worked at polling stations down the years and his tales of catching voting fraudsters make me feel exhausted. Crossing the country to commit it, some of them.

gozunda

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

You don't need a voting card to vote so long as you are on the register of electors, you just need photo ID.

The point was had the poster not recieved a voting card - then they should have contacted their local A. No card issued generally means not on the register of electors and therefore no vote!

Annasopra

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The "some lad" was obviously the 2nd party. The council.

Annasopra

Nettle Soup wrote: »

People get removed from the register by different political parties if they are known to be away/dead and the family are known to be of a certain political persuasion. It's a game of cat and mouse for all the local candidates. They are not required to tell you either.

You have no idea on how much political parties study the registers using local reps/councillors.

What? Proof please?

marklazarcovic

I got removed too, haven't moved,voted in last election,no contact,by time I realized i wasn't getting my card it was too late to get one

evil_seed

evil_seed wrote: »

My brother and one of my cousins went to vote today. They found out when at the polling station they were not on the register. They've voted in previous general elections and referendums. Anyone else removed from the register? How and why did this happen?

Any chance they were in a different polling station due to a boundary change or something like that? Seems a bit odd that it happened to both brother AND cousin. I presume they didn't get polling cards? Did they realise they had not received polling cards?

superman28

I got "deleted" from the register too,, Fingal Co Co.. just found out the other day.. I have voted many times using my parents address,, a man called around to my folks house and asked who lives here kind of thing.. that was that,,

Sure I should have checked the register soooner,, but I would have thought the council should at least acknowledge when they delete you from the voting register.. (they don't)

Minister

I was speaking with a person (middle aged male) on Friday evening who had voted twice. No polling card with him. He just checked the register, rocked up with a bill from one previous address (had moved within last year) and a driving licence. Produced licence in oldest booth and quoted number from electoral register and just number from electoral register in second place!!! No bothers......
Did same in last general election. Two different, but adjoining, constituencies outside of Dublin.

Muzzymor

What is the actual legality of non resident citizens coming over to vote in Irish elections? Mainly referring to mainland UK people of Irish descent holding dual citizenship who have never lived in Ireland but seem to have registered using a relatives address etc. Not saying this happened in big numbers just asking about the legality etc.

My guess is nobody cares.

Minister

Muzzymor wrote: »

What is the actual legality of non resident citizens coming over to vote in Irish elections? Mainly referring to mainland UK people of Irish descent holding dual citizenship who have never lived in Ireland but seem to have registered using a relatives address etc. Not saying this happened in big numbers just asking about the legality etc.

My guess is nobody cares.

It's Ireland ffs!!! We talk and hurrrummmph, pay lip service and ultimately do nothing! Particularly if it would make sense or make local authority public servants have to actually work at something of importance......

a very cool kid

We need to do some sort of exercise to tidy up the register - maybe match PPS numbers with addresses and then if you're not there you can apply to be added through checktheregister.ie

Allinall

Finger print recognition.

Cut out all the messing.

If you don’t like it, you lose your vote.

Trasna1

Muzzymor wrote: »

What is the actual legality of non resident citizens coming over to vote in Irish elections? Mainly referring to mainland UK people of Irish descent holding dual citizenship who have never lived in Ireland but seem to have registered using a relatives address etc. Not saying this happened in big numbers just asking about the legality etc.

My guess is nobody cares.

It's illegal.
And you're right, nobody cares - the reason being that the issue of this bs of hometovoters only has arisen in two referendums and the side that were motivated to do so we're on the same side as the big political parties.

You can bet your backside that if hometovote had cost FG seats in the last election, the sorry excuse for an electoral register would be fixed.

It wouldn't even be that hard, just require voters to produce PPS for residency and eligibility verification at the polling station.

_Dara_

Nettle Soup wrote: »

People get removed from the register by different political parties if they are known to be away/dead and the family are known to be of a certain political persuasion. It's a game of cat and mouse for all the local candidates. They are not required to tell you either.

You have no idea on how much political parties study the registers using local reps/councillors.

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

What? Proof please?

Yes, it happens. In rural areas, how a family traditionally votes is often known. But, no, I won’t be able to provide proof.

Nettle Soup

_Dara_ wrote: »

Yes, it happens. In rural areas, how a family traditionally votes is often known. But, no, I won’t be able to provide proof.

Correct. Fianna Fail are the best at this in rural circles. They will know the FF, FG, and Lab families in a every rural constituency's electoral area and make sure the register is fully "up-to-date" for the non-FF families which is why people randomly drop off the council register. I thought this was well known.