Trouble at the Wicklow count

THE DESIGN of the Wicklow ballot paper was at the centre of criticism at the ongoing count in Greystones yesterday.

While in most constituencies there was one long sheet along which voters could place their preferences, in Wicklow a “double-page spread” effect was created. There were, however, 24 candidates in Wicklow, the highest of any consituency in the State.

All the ballot papers used in the election featured, from left to right, a box with the party logo, the candidate’s name, photo and their party name as well as a box for indicating preference.

But in Wicklow the “double-page spread” effect meant voters reading left to right encountered all these features for another candidate on the same horizontal line.

To mitigate the effect of having two candidates on the same horizontal line, the ballot paper contained a black “gutter” down the centre.

However, as the ballot paper contained 14 Independents the boxes for their logos were left blank. This is also believed to have caused confusion in other constituencies.

In the case of Independent Joe Behan at the top of the ballot, for example, this left a blank box beside his name and written details. A second blank box, for voting preference, was placed beside his picture. Then on the other side of the vertical black line, another candidate’s details appeared.

In a number of cases, where an Independent candidate was placed on the left side of the ballot paper, alongside another Independent on the right side, there were four blank boxes across which created potential confusion.

Fianna Fáil’s Dick Roche, who called for the recount, said the checking process had also identified a significant number of ballot papers which did not have the presiding officer’s stamp, along with a number which contained comments in writing, which challenged their validity.