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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jun 1994

Vol. 444 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Sunday Polling.

Deputy Crowley gave me notice of his intention to raise the matter of the possibility of holding forthcoming elections on a Sunday in view of the fact that eight out of 12 EU countries vote on a Sunday.

Thank you, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue. With the agreement of the House I should like to share my time with Deputies Bradford and Sheehan.

I am sure that is satisfactory and agreed.

I raise this issue for a number of reasons, especially because of the low poll in the recent European elections. While the public may be cynical of politicians we contribute to such cynicism by not having voting on a Sunday. Anybody on the quays in Dublin on a Friday evening will have noticed the enormous number of buses leaving for Cork, Kerry, or wherever, taking people home for the weekend. Those people would vote if they had an opportunity to do so but, because voting here is on a Wednesday or Thursday, they are deprived of exercising their franchise.

On the same issue, in the Minister's constituency, indeed in each of our constituencies, primary schools are closed on polling day whereas, if voting was permitted on a Sunday, that too could be eliminated. In addition the abuse — and I suggest it is an abuse — of having county council engineers, primary teachers and so on preside at polling booths on a Wednesday or Thursday when there are in excess of 300,000 people unemployed could also be eliminated.

We must take another look at holding elections on a Wednesday or Thursday as against Sunday because it is my strong belief we could do much more to encourage the public to vote on a Sunday, giving a clear indication of our concern about the unemployed. I am glad the Minister is present because he knows what it is like to suffer the interval of 24 hours from the end of voting until the count commences. When one takes into account that some candidates in the last European elections had to wait from Thursday until Monday and others until Tuesday, one realises they must have sweated blood. I am not making a political point in saying so.

If we voted on a Sunday, on the same day as the vast majority of other EU member states, we would conform to the pattern virtually throughout Europe, it would be the right thing to do, encourage people to vote on that day and alleviate a problem for candidates.

I thank Deputy Crowley for allowing me some time to support his request for holding elections on a Sunday. I assure the Minister and the House that the fact that three Cork Deputies speak on the same issue is no indication of a Cork conspiracy but an indication that all public representatives, all people interested in politics, recognise that our normal election day, Wednesday or Thursday, causes difficulty for too many people and should be changed.

People have a democratic right to vote and we should facilitate that right as much as we can, thereby ensuring that people avail of their entitlement. While the low poll in the recent European elections may not have arisen because of people being required to vote on a certain day but because many people who wanted to vote were unable to do so because of work commitments or being far from home. Sunday voting would certainly help in that respect. For that reason and many others we do not have time to go into, I strongly support Deputy Crowley's request that the Minister prepare a review or study on changing polling day, thereby stepping into line with most of our EU counterparts.

I support the two previous speakers on this matter. The Minister should concede that it is necessary to introduce Sunday voting here. Fishermen, who may leave home on a Sunday evening to travel to fishing grounds and may not return until the following Saturday morning, are debarred from voting, as they are 250 to 400 miles off the coastline on voting day. The same applies to the long-distance lorry driver and students who may leave home early on a Monday morning, perhaps not returning until Friday evening.

Therefore, it should not be beyond the bounds of possibility for the Minister to immediately introduce Sunday voting since it is also polling day in most other European countries. I ask the Minister to accede to Deputy Crowley's request ensuring that all future elections are held on Sunday. In addition, it should be remembered that there will be a polling booth adjacent to churches nationwide so that, when people attend services, they can vote afterwards.

I assure my colleagues from Cork that I would never dream of viewing in conspiratorial terms any contribution they might make.

There is no longer any statutory barrier to taking the poll at elections and referenda on Sunday. The appointment of a polling day is a matter for the Minister for the Environment subject to the constraints laid down in the individual electoral codes. It is, therefore, a matter for decision on each occasion which day should be chosen.

While it is interesting to note that the majority of the countries of the European Union hold their elections on Sunday, in itself this is not persuasive. We must look at our individual situation and do what is most appropriate in our circumstances. It is worth noting that weekday voting is the rule in the three EU countries with whom we probably have most in common, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The arguments in favour of Sunday voting have been well expressed. Probably the most cogent practical argument in favour of weekend voting — referred to this evening — is that it would eliminate the necessity for any closure of schools or for any interruption of school work in connection with elections.

However, there would also be a downside to Sunday voting. Far from increasing voter turn-out, there would be a distinct possibility that it could have an adverse effect on the size of the poll. It is true that many people would be free from the normal duties at the weekend and, therefore, have a better opportunity of turning out to vote, but this would not be true of everybody. For many people, particularly workers in the transport and tourism industry, the weekend is probably their busiest time and they might very well have particular difficulty in getting to their polling stations.

Sunday is the occasion for many of our major sporting events. When it comes to a choice between the civic duty of voting and devotion to the favourite sport or pastime, voting may lose out. If, for example, polling day were to clash with the Munster finals, I have a feeling that polling staff in parts of the Deputy's constituency as well as my own — although this year is an exception, particularly in hurling — might well have an easy day, that is, if it were possible to find polling staff.

Similarly, many families wish to spend summer Sundays at the seaside or countryside with their families and it might not always be practical to fit in a visit to the polling station. Thus what we might gain on the swings could well be lost on the roundabout.

By far the most serious consideration to be faced in relation to Sunday voting is the question of objection on religious grounds. One of my predecessors sought the views of the different religions on the matter. In general, the minority Christian religions indicated that they would have serious difficulty with the proposal. Being based principally on grounds of conscience, it is unlikely that their reservations would change over the years.

Obviously these reservations would have to be taken into account. If we were to decide to go for Sunday voting in the knowledge that a substantial number of electors would have real difficulty, on conscience grounds, in voting on that day, then serious consideration would have to be given to providing alternative voting arrangements for the electors in question. It might be necessary, for example, to consider having polling stations open on Saturday or Monday, as well as Sunday, to give everybody a reasonable opportunity of voting.

While there are, quite clearly, many advantages in Sunday voting, there are also disadvantages of which the most serious is the question of objection on religious grounds.

It is open to the Minister of the day to appoint Sunday as the polling day but full consideration must be given to the likely implications. It is not a matter to be decided lightly but it does remain an option.

In relation to more people on the live register being given an opportunity to act as presiding officers and polling clerks in the European elections, I availed of the opportunity to write to all returning officers to make the best effort possible to ensure that that happens. I realise it has not happened in all cases and will continue that endeavour.

I shall also introduce an amendment in the next electoral Bill to provide facilities for voting for the people mentioned by Deputy Sheehan. The categories are well known. I want to facilitate categories of workers who have a real difficulty. That aspect will be covered in the new electoral Bill. There is no legal prohibition on Sunday voting; it is a matter to be decided in the light of prevailing circumstances and of getting overall agreement.

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