Fury as polling station hours reduced
VOTERS will have less time than usual to cast their ballot in today’s Meath East by-election, prompting anger among Opposition politicians who branded the move ‘deeply cynical’.
Polling stations will be open for two hours less than usual as part of what Environment Minister Phil Hogan of Fine Gael claimed were cost-cutting measures.
For all recent referendums, including the Presidential election, Dublin West by-election and General Election, polling stations were open from 7am until 10pm.
However, polling stations will only
‘An extremely undemocratic cut’
be open from 8am to 9pm today. The reduced hours have led to fears that voters in a constituency with a large population of commuters will miss the opportunity to cast their ballot.
Many frontline staff and shift workers will also be unable to vote, say critics.
Fianna Fáil candidate Thomas Byrne said he is also extremely concerned that many voters may be unaware of the changes to the voting hours.
Senator Byrne said: ‘Not only has the Government decided to hold this election in the middle of the week, they are also disenfranchising many voters by cutting the amount of time people have to cast their vote by two hours.
‘Allowing polling stations to open from 7am to 10pm has helped many people on shift work, like nurses and gardaí, cast their votes before or after work. Unfortunately, Fine Gael and Labour have all owed an extremely undemocratic cut in voting hours, which is also going to hit commuters.
‘The fact that polling stations will be restricted, opening from 8am to 9pm, is very regressive. We should be doing all we can to encourage more people to be able to take part in the democratic process, not restricting the times at which they can vote.’
Sinn Féin environment spokesman Brian Stanley branded the reduction in polling station hours as a ‘cynical, damage-limitation move by the Government’.
Raising the issue in the Dáil, he said: ‘ This Government has sawed two hours off the day for voting. This means frontline staff, those on shift work and those commuting from Dublin, have all been denied the right to cast their vote.’
Mr Hogan claimed that reducing the hours was in the ‘ continued interest of reducing costs’, when he moved the writ for the by-election on March 5.
However, Mr Stanley questioned whether it would save any money. ‘This simply does not make sense,’ he said. ‘Democracy comes at a cost. The saving will be minimal.
‘More savings would be made if the Government jet was grounded for a week. To deny people the right to vote will only fuel the public’s cynicism about politics.’
The ballots will be counted tomorrow, with a result expected later in the evening.