A CANDIDATE from Kinsale in the upcoming Seanad election fears Christmas festivities will impact voter turnout.
Professor Rónán Collins is a candidate for the National University of Ireland panel in the upcoming Seanad election.
Prof Collins who is a leading specialist in the fields in geriatric and stroke medicine, fears that many of the postal ballots set to arrive to a potential 112,832 voters will go unopened, with the election ballot closing on January 29th.
‘We have all seen the recent general election, with all the party machines at full power, but it still failed to ignite the electorate, with only 59% turning up to vote,’ said Prof Collins.
‘Reflecting on those figures, I am really concerned for an election that has over the last three votes seen only in the region of 30% turning out of those registered to vote in the NUI ballot. In reality it means that 5% of the total number of seats in the upper chamber could be decided on such a small number of votes.
‘This campaign is already difficult enough, without the additional challenge of engaging interest in the Seanad at Christmas,’ he said.
Prof Collins also fears the electoral register is not fit for purpose. ‘Depending on a register that was last updated in 2007, makes the canvass difficult enough. Indeed, I have come across several cases where voters are registered to an address that they have not resided in for 30 years. The system needs significant reform.’
Prof Collins is contesting the upcoming election on a platform of An Age Friendly Future For All and a fit-for-purpose hospital system. He lives in Dublin, with his wife and two sons.
