A RESIDENT of Baltimore who is currently an inpatient in the Bons Secours hospital in Cork city, has said she is very annoyed that she is unable to vote in this week’s referendum.
‘I have always treasured my right to vote and sadly I fear that, for the first time since turning 18, I will be unable to use it this week,’ Niamh Ní Chonghaile told The Southern Star.
Niamh was admitted to hospital unexpectedly on February 19th and, upon learning that she would be in hospital for at least four weeks, contacted Cork County Council and the county’s returning officer.
‘I was informed that I had missed the deadline of February 12th to register for a postal vote, as a special voter, or to change my polling station,’ she explained.
Niamh says she is highlighting the issue because she knows that she is not the only person who finds themselves in this position.
According to a 2022 report from the Department of Health, there were 11,337 acute beds in Ireland in 2021, a number that Niamh says has probably increased in the meantime.
‘I imagine that the majority of the patients occupying those beds did not anticipate their admission and therefore were unable to change their registration in time to cast their vote. This is particularly prevalent given the nature of this referendum, as provision of care is likely to impact many of those who are in hospital,’ she said.
Niamh, who also told her story to Joe Duffy on Liveline last Monday, said something should be done to help patients to be able to use their votes in such circumstances.
