Did the Taoiseach tell the Dáil the truth on 17 February 2004?
We now know that on 14 January 2004, the franchise section of the Department
of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, on instructions from the
Minister, Deputy Cullen, wrote to the Department of Finance informing it that
300 further electronic voting machines had been ordered because there are
strong indications that there may be a further ballot paper at the June
polls. This would increase time of voters at voting machines.
What did
the Minister know that we did not know on 14 January? Did the Taoiseach know
it?
Even if this letter had not come to light under the Freedom of Information Act, thanks to Irish Citizens for Trustworthy E-voting, there would still be a huge question for the Taoiseach to answer, which quite simply is this. Does he expect us to believe that on 17 February — only nine weeks ago — he was not aware that this constitutional amendment and its associated complex legislation were in preparation and that, at the very least, there was a possibility that they would be put to a referendum this year? If he knew that, then he clearly misled the Dáil on 17 February. Those are the facts.
[Editor's note: In fact, the letter came to light thanks to Joe McCarthy of Arkaon Consulting, not because of ICTE.]
Another issue of concern to many is that on 11 June most people will
vote on three different matters. They will use the electronic voting system
for the first time. I have heard Ministers tell us how aware the people are
and how this will not pose a problem for anybody. While canvassing over the
past two weeks, I have met many people who expressed concern. In the north
western constituency, which covers almost 40% of the land mass of this
country, people who vote will have to be aware of local and regional issues,
local and regional politicians and the implications of a referendum on the
Constitution. They will twice have to press a series of buttons to indicate
preferences and vote and, subsequently, they will have to press another
button to vote Yes
or No
in the referendum. I am not
underestimating or undermining the intelligence of the electorate; I am
reflecting what people are telling me on doorsteps.
[…]
The people would like to see some change, but it must be done in a fair and even-handed way. I have heard enough from the Minister today to know that this referendum is being held on a flawed basis. Everyone in the House accepts there is a problem. Why foist this referendum on the people on 11 June when electronic voting will be used, which will be a major problem for many citizens? There will now be three, if not four, ballot papers in most places. Why does the Minister want to foist that on an electorate which has sufficient problems without this referendum?