Number of unstamped ballot papers was ‘significantly lower than previous elections’
Ballina native Dr Ann Marie Courell at the podium during the general election count in the TF Royal Theatre in Castlebar. Picture: John Corless
In the Swinford Electoral Area in last June's local elections, Fine Gael Cllr Neil Cruise held off Sinn Féin’s John Sheahan by a single vote to retain his council seat.
In last month's general election, at the sixth count, just eight votes separated Áontu’s Paul Lawless and Fine Gael’s Mark Duffy, with the Ballina man in front. At the seventh count, there were just two votes between Lawless and another Fine Gael candidate, Kiera Keogh.
In both of these elections - and probably countless others - a number of votes were disallowed because they were not stamped by the election staff in the polling booth before being handed to the unsuspecting voter, who marked the ballot paper in good faith, believing their vote would count. It did not. Only stamped ballot papers are counted, and all papers are examined to ensure they are stamped before the first count commences. Spoilt votes are disregarded during this process also.
Speaking to candidates during the recent general election count, it seems there were about 60 ballot papers rejected due to not being stamped by the polling clerk at the various booths around the county. Such tardiness did not materially affect the result in November and it is difficult to say for certain if it did in June.
So how can ballot papers be issued without the official stamp, and what actions, if any, take place when this comes to light?
Each ballot should be stamped before it is handed to the voter. The voter should check that the paper is stamped when it is handed to them. Human error can occur and it is highly unlikely that the failure to stamp any paper would be a deliberate act to deny an individual a valid vote. It seems more likely that the error occurs when there is a rush at the booth or if there is confusion around identity.
Regarding the recent election, the Mayo Returning Officer, Dr Ann Marie Courell said a full review will be carried out in the next few days.
“We are able to trace any unstamped paper back to the particular presiding officer who was responsible for issuing same,” Dr Courell told the .
“I am pleased to report that the number for the general election appears to be significantly lower than in previous elections. Over the last few months, we have focused a lot of time and effort on training our presiding officers in the importance of stamping the ballot paper, and we have also increased voter awareness about the issue. This means that both the poll staff and the voter know how important it is for the ballot paper to be stamped,” Dr Courell said.
“Following our last review after the local and European elections, we took the decision not to rehire any presiding officer where we discovered an issue. I personally made phone calls to a small number of presiding officers to let them know that we had discovered a problem and that we could not ask them to work for the general election.
"In June, we were talking about a ratio of one unstamped ballot paper per almost one thousand papers, and this time it appears to be reduced to one unstamped ballot paper per two thousand papers.”
It is good news that Dr Courell takes the issue seriously. It would be wrong that the outcome of an election would be affected by administrative errors.
“I have to say that our presiding officers here in Mayo are absolutely fantastic,” Dr Courell said, “and they work incredibly hard. They are extremely diligent and kind and courteous to all voters.
"To work as a presiding officer means getting up before 6am to ensure that the polling station is ready for 7am, and then remain there all day until 10pm. They don't finish at 10pm as they have paperwork to do, and they have to make sure that the box is dispatched with Garda escort to the count centre.
"They make such a valuable contribution to the democratic process and I wish to thank them sincerely for their effort.”
The voter has a role and responsibility in the process too. Every voter should check that the ballot paper is stamped when it is handed to them before they retire behind the screen to cast their precious vote.
