Sir, – Harry McGee writes about “unknown unknowns” in the upcoming election and in any election (“Dáil returns but maybe not for long as evidence points to November election”, News, September 18th).
There will also be known unknowns – those people who will not be able to vote because they are in hospital or residential care or because they are students or workers temporarily away from home, for whom our system makes voting far more difficult than it should be.
We have no provision to vote by proxy and those requiring to vote by post must have their applications received two days after dissolution of the Dáil, a high bar.
Census 2022 found that 15,273 people were in hospital, 24,527 in nursing homes and 4,718 in residential facilities.
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Two years on, these figures are likely to have increased. In acute situations, voting may be last on patients’ or relatives’ minds but that does not relieve the State of its duty to ease the circumstances in which they can vote.
How to improve things? First, the commission should inform such people and the general public of the law on registering to vote and applying for postal votes.
Second, the election commission might consider whether persons ill or infirm in hospital or residential care or any person temporarily studying or working away from home should have a right to vote by proxy as they do in Northern Ireland.
Third, the election commission might consider whether the cut-off date for receipt of postal applications should be extended and/or whether applications might be made online. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN O’DONOVAN,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
