A number of polling stations which councillors voted to close two years ago are set to reopen in time for the local elections next year, following campaigns by constituents in Co Kerry.
Voters in areas such as Bonane and Tahilla in the south of the county and in Tooreencahill in east Kerry were told their stations were to close when they received polling cards prior to the abortion referendum in March 2002. In some cases elderly residents in Bonane faced round trips of 28 miles to their new station in Kenmare.
Most of the 251 voters in Bonane refused to vote and they were joined in protest by community leaders and the parish priest in the area. It was a blow to rural communities, they argued.
The closures had been "unwittingly" voted through in a review of the county's polling districts in 2001, the councillors said. Despite advertisements and being presented twice with lists of stations to close, the wording had been confusing and the changes had slipped past them, the councillors said.
They sought to overturn their earlier decision and have the stations reopened, but received conflicting advice on proper procedures. The Minister for the Environment was asked to clarify the situation.