Calls to reinstate CBS as polling station for the general election

WITH talks of a general election now gathering some major momentum, calls have been made for a former town centre polling station to be reinstated.

Traditionally, local voters always headed to the CBS on polling day to cast their votes, however, on the last two occasions this hasn’t been an option and voters who had frequented the CBS in the past were forced instead to head for Kennedy Park NS. Initially, this decision was taken while construction work was ongoing at the CBS, however, since it’s now finished Cllr George Lawlor is calling for the school to be reinstated on the list of polling stations.

‘I’ve been in touch with the County Registrar on the matter,’ said Cllr Lawlor, who this week revealed he wouldn’t be standing in the general election himself.

‘People who used to vote in the CBS have been forced into Kennedy Park and this has had a serious impact on turnout. We’re talking a drop of 10-15% and the demographics show that there’s a lot of elderly voters in the area who perhaps aren’t as mobile.’

‘I’ve called for the situation to be reverted or, if this isn’t possible, to use somewhere else in the area like St Michael’s Hall,’ he continued.

‘In addition to accommodating elderly people, I think the prospects of getting people out to vote on a cold, wet, windy and dark evening when they have to walk that bit further to the polling station are drastically decreased. I’ve asked the County Registrar to take a look at this situation in advance of the next election.’