# Who took my name off the voters' register?



## panathon (13 Apr 2015)

Been registered since voting age in the same area of east clare, where I have lived since birth. I went abroad for a couple of years, 2-3 years, and suddenly someone somewhere has the power to remove my right to vote, by unlisting me in that short space of time. Who has the power to do so? I would like to sue them personally. I could, should re-register, but what mini-god like creature sees that as their unequivocal right? That is not a long period of time and I have voted in all elections. So who decides?


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## moneybox (13 Apr 2015)

Somebody from the Council comes round every year knocking on doors updating the electoral register.  Somebody must have told them that you had emigrated so your name was taken off the register.


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## Jim2007 (13 Apr 2015)

If you were out of the country for 2 or 3 years then you removed in accordance with the Electoral Act 1992.  All legal and correct.


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## Bronte (13 Apr 2015)

You left the country and you want to sue someone.  Surely it was correct you were removed, it's a sign of the system working.  And it's probably up to an individual to ensure they are on the electoral register.


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## dereko1969 (13 Apr 2015)

Delighted to see this happening. Constituencies are set up on the basis of the electoral register (as well as CSO returns), when people aren't living there it gives an incorrect picture of population and skews the voting - 5 seat constituencies that should be 4 seaters remain 5 seaters etc.

It's particularly prevalent amongst people living in cities (primarily Dublin) to keep their "home" address for voting and shouldn't happen. The whole register needs to be cleaned up.

It's not exactly difficult to re-register.


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## thedaddyman (13 Apr 2015)

moneybox said:


> Somebody from the Council comes round every year knocking on doors updating the electoral register.  Somebody must have told them that you had emigrated so your name was taken off the register.



I've lived in 4 different constituencies in 3 different counties  over the last 15 years and no one has ever knocked on my door updating the register.


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## dereko1969 (13 Apr 2015)

Actually by looking at the thread title - the answer is you yourself removed yourself from the register by not living in the country the past 2/3 years.


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## mathepac (13 Apr 2015)

I'm at my current address 8 and half years. I've been at home for two county-council callers updating the register. @dereko1969 +1


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## emeralds (13 Apr 2015)

We have somebody call to the door about once every 2 years updating the register. My son who turned 18 last autumn is now on the register (just checked it online yesterday).


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## Leo (14 Apr 2015)

Panathon, can you send me on your name and address so I can sue you personally for wasting time with such a question?


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## panathon (17 Apr 2015)

Except no-one has ever called to the door of the house to update the register and other siblings who are absent from the local area, still retain the right to vote.


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## panathon (17 Apr 2015)

I also did not say I emigrated, reread my initial posting and I never specified when this period of time was, it certainly was not in the the last 2/3 years and I did not say my absence was a prolonged or complete one.

Never mind, I have received a number of satisfactory responses to my question on another irish based forum, which I won't mention, less the obviously partisan moderator take offence, the quality of responses here has deteriorated hugely


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## moneybox (17 Apr 2015)

panathon said:


> Except no-one has ever called to the door of the house to update the register and other siblings who are absent from the local area, still retain the right to vote.



It's most likely a neighbour told them you had emigrated and emigrants do not have the right to vote...yet


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## Purple (18 Apr 2015)

moneybox said:


> It's most likely a neighbour told them you had emigrated and emigrants do not have the right to vote...yet


Is that sufficient? I would think the person checking the register would, at the very least, have to call to the house of the person in question and verify what they had been told was true.


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## Jon Snow (18 Apr 2015)

I decided I should check, and the online system doesn't have me on it. I've never lived outside of a 2-mile radius...


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## panathon (18 Apr 2015)

dereko1969 - I find your comment very odd. You are 'delighted' that an irish-born citizens right to vote has been removed. I live there. I had some absence from the property - if someone HAD called, they would have been informed that everyone at the address, still lived there, bar some work absence. It's a small country, and an 'incorrect picture of population' extrapolated statistically would have to involve thousands of people in electoral areas deliberately voting in areas where they no longer live to have any confounding effect. Plus that statement is only relevant in terms of party seats. What about general votes on social issues? For all you know I may vote the same way you do. Why would you be delighted my right to vote was removed?



dereko1969 said:


> Delighted to see this happening. Constituencies are set up on the basis of the electoral register (as well as CSO returns), when people aren't living there it gives an incorrect picture of population and skews the voting - 5 seat constituencies that should be 4 seaters remain 5 seaters etc.
> 
> It's particularly prevalent amongst people living in cities (primarily Dublin) to keep their "home" address for voting and shouldn't happen. The whole register needs to be cleaned up.
> 
> It's not exactly difficult to re-register.


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## panathon (18 Apr 2015)

Leo, as a moderator, I would expect more. The question may be deemed a waste of time by you, but that is an extremely snide, brow-beating response. It is a legitimate question from my perspective and if a person can be ridiculed by a moderator for asking a question on these forums, then the entire premise of 'askaboutmoney.com' is on a slow road to nowhere.



Leo said:


> Panathon, can you send me on your name and address so I can sue you personally for wasting time with such a question?


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## panathon (19 Apr 2015)

Thank you for your response moneybox - and I would say to others on the thread who happily sit with their voting rights unchallenged - can anyone dare suggest that this kind of parochial mechanism of 'cleaning up the register' is legal and falls within the boundaries of any statute unchallenged? 



moneybox said:


> It's most likely a neighbour told them you had emigrated and emigrants do not have the right to vote...yet


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## Jon Snow (19 Apr 2015)

Checked again and it turns out I am on the register - the council just have my name slightly wrong... I tried the couple of possible variants and one of them found me...

I must say though, some very snide and unhelpful responses on here. Letting yourselves down lads...


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## Leo (20 Apr 2015)

panathon said:


> Leo, as a moderator, I would expect more. The question may be deemed a waste of time by you, but that is an extremely snide, brow-beating response. It is a legitimate question from my perspective and if a person can be ridiculed by a moderator for asking a question on these forums, then the entire premise of 'askaboutmoney.com' is on a slow road to nowhere.



If your first thought is who can I sue, and you feel that is a legitimate question, then you misunderstand the purpose of AAM.


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## Gordon Gekko (20 Apr 2015)

panathon said:


> Leo, as a moderator, I would expect more. The question may be deemed a waste of time by you, but that is an extremely snide, brow-beating response. It is a legitimate question from my perspective and if a person can be ridiculed by a moderator for asking a question on these forums, then the entire premise of 'askaboutmoney.com' is on a slow road to nowhere.



panathon, with the greatest respect your opening post is worthy of nothing other than ridicule. Like many other people, I actually laughed out loud when I read it. I thought you were joking. Surely you can see that talking about legal action was bonkers?


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## G7979 (20 Apr 2015)

In short the personal responsibility you mention, its your own responsibility to ensure you are registered to vote, two links are below

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e...and_referenda/voting/registering_to_vote.html

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e...uction_to_the_irish_system/right_to_vote.html

It is the responsibility of the local council/corporation to update and publish the register for their area. From my conversations with other staff members they go door to door attempting to update the information they have. I have worked in the past with the office responsible for running polling stations but not for a council so my knowledge is limited. It is a regular occurrence on polling day for people to be removed from the register and complain, or for someone to get upset because a deceased person or someone who has moved away is still on the register - it is an imperfect system, and from what I have heard is dependant on the person knocking on doors. 

You could contact your local office and ask when they last visited your area, it may give some clues as to why you were removed - were you away at the time and someone said you werent living there at the time? Not sure they will be able or willing to give you much information.


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## panathon (21 Apr 2015)

Firstly, thank you for a normal polite reply, G7979, to a question with a bit of insight, you have renewed my faith in there being some helpful people out there without an agenda. I had made sure I was registered to vote, I have re-registered. I have called my local office,who would only confirm I had been removed from the register, but claimed they could not divulge why or by whom or when. I also called again after re-registering to see why I had not received my voting card and was told I was not on the system and would have to re-register again for a third time .

As I mentioned previously, siblings long absent from the area retain the right to vote there even though one now lives abroad (for 15 years). I am annoyed. An imperfect system is a reason, not an excuse. I would reiterate no-one called to the door. So I can only surmise, as moneybox suggested, [a] a neighbour gave unvalidated hearsay information and that this was acceptable, which I now suspect (hearsay is not a legal argument in any shape or scenario Mr. Gordon Gekko (see above) and neither is the word bonkers really an acceptable or definable term, only within the boundaries of hearsay) that on re-registration, 'they' couldn't work the shomputers'' for an update or [c] something else - who knows what. I have a family member who works for polling stations in a different locality, and who says it is completely illegal to remove a person's right to vote without backup evidenced  information.

Anyway, thank you for your response, and I am leaving the thread, but I am left wondering why , my question riled so many people to give an aggressive or smarmy response. Is it group mentality, croneyism or fear of questioning the structures we live under, an uniquely irish trait?

Goodnight and thanks to those who were constructive, even if the question was laughable


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## Purple (21 Apr 2015)

panathon, I think it was your desire to sue the person who removed your name that provoked the reaction you got. It was a little OTT.


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