End ‘voter suppression’ rule says Independent candidate

Parties pressed to back change

An Independent candidate in the local elections is calling on the political parties to change an election rule that he says creates ‘voter suppression’.

Patrick Maphoso, who is standing in Dublin North Inner City ward, is a former anti-apartheid activist all too familiar with the vote being denied to people of colour. He says that immigrants are keen to vote in the June election – but when he explains to them that registering means a trip to their local Garda station, their enthusiasm cools.

“There’s less than a month now to get people registered and while there’s no shortage of enthusiasm for the election, many immigrant voters just aren’t comfortable with having to visit the Gardaí with their registration form and ID to get an official stamp,” he explains.

All residents, Irish, EU and non-EU citizens alike, are entitled to vote in the June local elections, including foreign students and asylum seekers. Those not already registered can be added to the supplementary register until 18th May.

But Maphoso, whose team have spoken to hundreds of potential voters in the Moore Street area, says the issue of getting the Garda stamp comes up time and again as a sticking point.

“Voter registration has to be secure but it is basically the same process as joining a library – you produce documents like a passport and a utility bill to prove your identity and where you live. No-one thinks twice about getting a library card and no-one should have to feel uneasy about voter registration either. A healthy democracy shouldn't be creating unnecessary barriers – this really needs to be looked at to find a better way."

In 2004, the non-government Democracy Commission and the Vincentian Partnership for Justice concluded that the Gardai’s role in supplementary registrations was an obstacle in socially disadvantaged areas. Five years on, Maphoso is disappointed that nothing has changed. He is writing to Environment Secretary John Gormley and all parties in Dáil Éireann to remind them of the issue and seek their support for a re-think.

“It’s too late to do anything for this election,” Maphoso says, “but I hope that next time Ireland goes to the polls, every potential voter will feel comfortable that they can be included.”

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