asked the Minister for Justice if he will recommend to the relevant authorities that members of the Garda Síochána and prison officers will not be required to have inserted after their name on the electoral register the designation indicating that they have a postal vote in order to remove from them the ease of identification which can be made in relation to their home address, having regard to the security implications of such information; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers - Postal Vote Designation.
18.
The Electoral Acts provides that members of the Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and diplomats and their spouses posted abroad shall be registered as postal voters and they are identified as such in the electoral register by the letter S, which appears before their names as also are disabled persons who apply to register as special voters to vote at home. Prison officers are not registered as postal voters and the question of their being identified on the register does not arise.
A decision in principle has been taken to remove the provision whereby gardaí are required to be registered as postal voters and it is intended as a preliminary step that discussions on the matter will be held with the Garda associations in the near future.