Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, which I hope is acceptable to Deputy Stanton. As this is something in which I have a strong personal interest, I am particularly delighted to be taking this matter, which I believe is a very worthwhile contribution. It was particularly noticeable in recent local and European elections that the date for those elections was obviously set, essentially, by the European Parliament and that these elections took place two weeks later in the calendar than they did five years ago. That brought these elections into June where the leaving certificate examinations had already got under way, many secondary schools had broken up for the summer and the holiday season is very much upon us. That was so apparent that at first glance, the turnout for these local and European elections was down on five years ago. A lot of that is down to the sheer fact that so many people were already away.

For the interest of the debate, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I wish to lay out the exact provisions under electoral law where postal voting is allowed at the moment. Deputy Stanton has already alluded to them and they include: whole-time members of the Defence Forces; members of An Garda Síochána; Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses or civil partners; electors living at home who are unable to vote because of an illness or a disability; electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely that they will be unable to vote in person at their local polling station on polling day; full-time students registered at their home who are living elsewhere while attending an educational institution in the State; prisoners; certain election staff employed at the poll outside the constituency where they reside; and anonymous voters, whose safety, or that of a member of their household, is compromised by publication of their details on the electoral register.

The Electoral Reform Act 2022 extended existing postal voting facilities previously only available to persons with physical health difficulties, to persons with mental health difficulties. A voter’s certifying medical practitioner no longer needs to provide the nature of the voter’s illness or disability. They can now indicate an expected duration, which the registration authority will have regard to when assigning a postal voting arrangement. This means that for those postal voters with longer-term or ongoing health difficulties, annual renewal will not be required.

The Electoral Reform Act 2022 also included provisions for the establishment of an independent, statutory Electoral Commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin. An coimisiún has been given a new research function, through which it will conduct research on electoral policy and procedure.

The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future contains a commitment to examine the use of postal voting, with a view to expanding its provision. In support of this commitment, my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, wrote to an coimisiún in July 2023, outlining a number of issues that an coimisiún might include in its initial research programme. This included the programme for Government’s commitment relating to postal voting.

An coimisiún’s draft research programme 2024-26, published on 10 November 2023, included a proposal to examine the issue of postal voting. I understand that an coimisiún's finalised research programme will be published in the coming weeks. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will review this policy area once an coimisiún has considered it and made recommendations on the issue itself.

In the brief minute of speaking time remaining to me, the examples which Deputy Stanton has given of international practice in this regard are interesting. Australia, of course, has mandatory voting like Belgium and other countries, so it is slightly askew, or one can be financially penalised if one does not vote, but there are other European jurisdictions which have moved, not just into a wider use of postal voting, but also of online voting. In Estonia and other countries we can see where people can vote online. We also see the opportunity being given in the UK for people to hold onto their postal vote for a considerable time, particularly if they are living abroad for any reason, which does not have to be for work. Today I think, also, is the last day for our friends in Northern Ireland to register for a postal vote ahead of their general election on 4 July. It is, of course, in practice in many other jurisdictions and from a personal point of view I would absolutely support Deputy Stanton's recommendations and I look forward to the commission's report.

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