First time Fianna Fáil Councillor on the Shannon Municipal District (MD) in Clare, David Griffin, has called for bar or QR codes to replace the franking system in local polling stations.
In order for a ballot to be deemed acceptable by the returning officer it must be fully punctured by the polling staff using a franking machine.
Griffin said, “People’s right to vote and to have their voices heard through the ballot box is crucial to our democracy. The number of unnecessary spoilt ballots is concerning.”
“In speaking with colleagues in the Shannon MD, there was concern at the number of votes which were subsequently deemed spoilt on the basis of the paper not being franked correctly. Many of which, based on the voting pattern, we suspect came from a single polling.
“We have seen how elections can come down to a single vote. People took time out of their busy lives to vote in the election and their vote should be counted.”
Griffin concluded, “I am calling for a new system, that would utilise existing technology to ensure that people votes are not needlessly spoilt. The use of QR or bar codes should be looked at, so that once the ballot is beeped under the scanner in the polling station, there is no risk of that ballot not being included in the counting process.”