Candidates for the Labour Party leadership may lose out on large blocks of votes due to the failure of some party branches to pay membership subscriptions to head office on time.
More than 200 Labour Party supporters have been told they are not eligible to vote in the forthcoming contest because they are not up to date with their party payments. The Irish Times has learned that the party's appeals committee is to meet next week to discuss the issue following complaints from members around the country.
A Labour Party head office spokesman said yesterday that the problem had arisen with members who claim they had paid their subscriptions to their local branches. The money, however, was not forwarded on time to Dublin. The matter arose after members got letters from head office in the last two weeks saying they did not have a vote because they were not paid up for last year.
According to the rules, anyone who has not been a member of "good standing" for the last two years is not eligible to take part in the ballot. There were also complaints from members who pay their membership by direct debit, but who also got letters saying they had not paid on time.
"We are looking at around 200 such cases next week and the appeals committee will adjudicate on each case," the spokesman said.
The total electoral vote for the leadership is about 3,600, so the number of potentially lost votes is one in 18.
Meanwhile, nominations for the leadership closed yesterday with four candidates declaring. They are the Wexford TD and deputy leader Mr Brendan Howlin; Dublin North West TD Ms Róisín Shortall; Dún Laoghaire TD Mr Eamon Gilmore, and Dublin South West TD Mr Pat Rabbitte.
There are also four candidates for the separate election of deputy leader. They are Wicklow TD Ms Liz McManus; Dublin Central TD Mr Joe Costello; Westmeath TD Mr Willie Penrose, and Dublin West TD, Ms Joan Burton.
For the first time, party members will elect a leader in a one-member one-vote postal ballot. The leadership contest is expected to be the most competitive yet. It is widely speculated that race will come down to a two-way contest between Mr Howlin and Mr Rabbitte.
It is the first time in the history of the party that four candidates will contest the position of leader and the new voting system will make the contest more intriguing and unpredictable than previously.
The Green Party is the only other political party in the history of the State in which members directly elect the leader.
Labour Party members will be issued with ballot papers on October 4th and the poll closes on October 25th. A result is expected that day.
The candidates' campaigns will start this Saturday when they will attend the Tom Johnson Summer School in Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford, organised by Labour Youth.
The candidates will appear together for the first time on RTÉ Radio 1's Pat Kenny Show today.