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VOTERS WILL USE redesigned ballot papers at the next Dáil general election following a government decision today.
Th cabinet this morning agreed to a proposal from Environment Minister Alan Kelly to make the papers more user-friendly.
The main change is to move the space for including the emblem of the political party from the left-hand side of the ballot paper and place it beside the candidate photograph on the right of the paper.
This is a sample of the proposed new ballot paper:
This means there will no longer be empty boxes on the left-hand side of the ballot paper for independent and non-party candidates.
In the past some voters have inadvertently put their preferences in these boxes and thus invalidated their ballot paper. Kelly said:
The revised form of the ballot paper should help voters to avoid misplacing voting preferences and it should be more user friendly for voters with visual and literacy difficulties
This is the old ballot paper which some voters had trouble with:
These changes will be introduced through an amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2015. The debate on the bill is expected to commence before the end of this month and continue into November.
Kelly added: “I hope that the changes proposed will receive the support of all members of the Oireachtas and I look forward to the new format of the ballot paper being used at the next general election.”
The government also agreed today to make no changes to the limits for election spending and reimbursement of expenses ahead of the general election.
These amounts were last increased in 2007 and, by law, the minister of the day can alter them in line with inflation. Despite inflation increasing by 5% since 2007, this is considered relatively small.
Currently under the Electoral Act 1997, a Dáil candidate is limited in the amount that can be spent between the time the Dáil is dissolved and an election called and polling day.
The amount of election expenses which may be reimbursed to a Dáil candidate is the actual expenses or a maximum of €8,700.
However, a candidate can only recoup this money if they are elected or get enough support to exceed a quarter of the quota during any point in the count.
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Sounds like someone has just watched the Unibomber on Netflix and got some ideas…
@ciaran kavanagh: more like the Zip Gun Bomber
“Police were considering whether racial hatred was a factor”. More like “Police were asked by the divisive media if they were considering whether racial hatred was a factor”
@JimmyMc: “divisive” media? You mean one asking an obvious question considering the background of the victims?
@JimmyMc: The profile of the victims would naturally lead to this suspicion.
@Brendan O’Brien: why would it naturally lead to that suspicion? Most crimes committed against people of colour are perpetrated by their fellow people of colour.
@Brad Carmichael: And racist crime/terrorism is also a thing, particularly in this era of far-right emboldenment.
@Brad Carmichael: Is white not a colour too?
@wrong side: no white is not a colour. Neither is black.
@Brendan O’Brien: so is Islamic terror maybe they were targeted for being christians ?, your usually one of the first telling everyone to wait for evidence.
@JimmyMc: Is that you Donald?
@Seamus Mc Meel: Is that you Maxine?
@Joey Navinski: whooosh…
@johnp: eh, Islamic terrorism is far_right terrorism silly.
God Bless the greatest country south of Canada and North of Mexico!
@Brad Carmichael: really, do Americans prefer to slaughter children in classrooms or is just some nut jobs
@Brad Carmichael: You really are an abominable person.Blocked,and reported.
$15,000.00 reward? Life is cheap there
No one calling for stricter parcel controls??
@Pat Cbar: purchase of explosives is already heavily restricted
Oh no our beloved Taoiseach is there.
In other news, it might rain on paddy’s day.
Arm everyone with parcel bombs. That should solve it
“No evidence of a terrorism link”
@Brendan Gordon: motive is needed to make that distinction
“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar joins Tesla founder Elon Musk, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and onetime presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as speakers at the event.”
How did a socialist manage to get sandwiched in between this group of neo-liberals?
ANTIFA left wing terrorists by the looks of it
@Dylan Toback: care to elaborate?
$15,000.00 reward? Life is cheap there
Ban parcels
have your say