POLLING STATIONS:THOUSANDS OF voters with a disability are being disenfranchised by a failure to provide fully accessible polling stations, the Irish Wheelchair Association has said.
Spokesman Michael Doyle said the group was disappointed some polling stations were still not wheelchair accessible, and it did not appear to be a priority.
The association wrote to all returning officers in constituencies when the general election was called, asking for details on stations with such difficulties.
It received responses from seven local authority areas, covering a number of constituencies – with only Sligo confirming all its polling stations were fully accessible.
Inaccessible voting points were highest in Co Galway, with 15 across the two constituencies of Galway East and West, followed by Donegal with 12. There are eight inaccessible polling stations in Wexford, six in Dublin and five in Waterford, according to information sent to the association.
Mr Doyle said it had received no information whatsoever from many returning officers, which was “very disappointing”. An estimated 750,000 people in Ireland have a disability together with their families, and “they constitute a significant proportion of voters”.
He said the situation had improved since the 2007 general election, and voters with disabilities did have the right to ask for a transfer within their constituency. However, the lack of full compliance was still “inexcusable”.
In Galway, Independent candidate Eamon Walsh has highlighted an anomaly in the Electoral Act whereby returning officers must publish a list of inaccessible polling stations at least eight days before polling. However, voters seeking a transfer to an accessible location have to satisfy the returning officer at least seven days before polling. Effectively, this gave voters with disabilities in up to 15 locations in Co Galway just a day to apply for a change, said Mr Walsh.
A spokesman for the Galway West and East returning officer said yesterday it gave as much notice as possible to facilitate voters.
The Department of the Environment said every effort was made by returning officers to meet the requirements, but some locations had limitations.
Meanwhile, Mary Davis, chairwoman of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship, yesterday called for a high turnout in the election. She said she would encourage all citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
“Our right to vote must never be taken for granted. Democracy is precious, and so many people throughout the Middle East are dying and suffering now in their cry to have what we have.”
Ms Davis said successful communities emerged when there was a sense of shared citizenship, and people had the confidence and desire to engage in community life. Voting was central to being an active citizen.
