Electronic voting criticised by Independents

A number of Independent deputies strongly criticised the introduction of electronic voting.

They were speaking during the resumed debate on a Private Member's motion from Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party, calling for the establishment of an electoral commission to oversee its implementation, as well as the provision of a voter-verified paper audit trail.

Mr Tony Gregory (Independent, Dublin Central) said: "In my view, there must be a voter verifiable audit trail, where the voting machine prints a record of each vote and stores it in a ballot box. That, to me, is the very basis of the democratic process."

Mr Paudge Connolly (Independent, Cavan-Monaghan) said there were potential failures within the system.

"It is potentially open to the very real threat of rogue-hacking and vote tampering on a vast scale."

Mr Séamus Healy (Independent, Tipperary South) said he was not at all satisfied that the present voting system was not "broken", adding that a few long counts and recounts seemed to have brought about a certain urgency on the issue.

"The spending of €40 million or so on the introduction of electronic voting is a waste of money which could be used for other purposes."

Mr Seán Power (FF, Kildare South) said that all voting systems had faults.

He revealed that he had spoiled his vote in the first divorce referendum, because he could not make up his mind on the issue.

However, he had rectified the matter some years later.

Mr John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South-East) said that his party supported the principle of electronic voting.

"The Green Party has many members interested in technology, and many of these people, including my colleague, Mr John Lambe, who today wrote in The Irish Times, have raised serious questions about the methodology employed by the Government.

"The key issue, as has been emphasised repeatedly, is the lack of a verifiable audit trail."

Mr Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) accused the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, of doing his utmost "to ram this unnecessary and fundamental change" in how people voted while at the same time attempting to stifle debate on the issue.

"The announcement from the Government yesterday that they have decided to establish an independent panel to verify secrecy, and to deal with the issue of individuals who wish to abstain,entirely fails to deal with the central concern which is the necessity to provide a paper trail."

The Fine Gael spokesman on the environment, Mr Bernard Allen, said the Government's insincerity in announcing an independent panel at this stage was astounding.

"We are told that an ad hoc committee will be set up and that a statutory based panel will follow at a later stage." He accused the Government of "indecision and bungling."

The Labour chief whip, Mr Emmet Stagg, said the old manual system of voting had served the State well.

"If there was any downside to it at all, it was simply that in certain close contests, counts and recounts could take a considerable length of time."

A Government amendment to the motion, endorsing its policy, was carried by 59 votes to 55.