Skibbereen register of voters had 70 deceased names

A WEST Cork councillor has revealed there were 70 deceased people in Skibbereen town still on the electoral register ahead of last month’s local elections.

A meeting of Cork County Council also heard that, due to GDPR (data protection) rules, the old system of staff updating the register of electors by travelling door-to-door, had to be discontinued.

Cllr Noel O’Donovan (FG) made the startling revelation at this week’s meeting of Cork County Council where a motion was raised calling for the urgent update of the register.

Cllr O’Donovan said the local Fine Gael branch checked the register and discovered around 70 people on the register who were dead.

‘We should be looking for national funding to help with this process,’ said Cllr O’Donovan. Cllr Ian Doyle (FF), who raised the motion, acknowledged the huge amount of work that the franchise office carries out but said there are still gaps.

‘While canvassing door-to-door, we had young people asking us how do they register. I do think we need to go into the schools and target the TY students who can pre-register,’ said Cllr Doyle, who noted that a general election is imminent. Fermoy-based Cllr Willie O’Leary (FF) said he knew of one woman who had been on the register for 50 years and when she turned up at the polling station to vote, she wasn’t on it. He called on the Council to write to her and apologise for the error.

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) said the subject of registering should be discussed in schools. He knew of three young men in one house who weren’t registered but had taken it for granted that they were eligible to vote.

‘As someone who previously lost by one vote in the local elections, this is a serious issue,’ said Cllr Finbarr Harrington (Ind).

Cllr John Michael Foley (FG), who is also a funeral director, said that death certificates need to be tied in with the register to prevent deceased people remaining on it.

Cllr Michael Creed (FG) said he knows of some people in the Macroom area who are on the register twice, and also families on it twice under different townlands.

His colleague, Cllr Anthony Barry, pointed out that they had the same conversation about the register five years ago and that there must be a better way to update it.

Cllr Ann Marie Ahern (FF) said the issuing of polling cards was also problematic and she didn’t receive hers until polling day. Cllr Seamus McGrath called for a national review of the system. Councillors were told that a previous system whereby field officers would go out and visit areas and get information on people who had died or moved from areas has been discontinued, due to GDPR.

Council chief executive Moira Murrell said this issue is being given huge priority and they are working to a national system and have made recommendations to improve it.