Irish Post
April 10, 2003
When Irish ayes are voting
Personation, the act of passing yourself off as someone else for voting reasons was at one time rife throughout Ireland. So much
so that Garrett Fitzgerald once commented on the occasion of a Belfast by-election: “The fools the fools, they have left us
their Fenian dead...”
It seems that the time-honoured practice is still with us. Last week a 28-year-old student from Leitrim, Michael McTigue, was
fined ¤800 for the offence under the Electoral Act. Mr. McTigue, the first person to be prosecuted since the act was passed in
1992, pleaded guilty to attempting to vote twice in last year’s general election.
The fine may seem a bit harsh seeing as how we’re always complaining about voter apathy amongst young people. Here’s
somebody who is very enthusiastic — OK, maybe a little bit too enthusiastic — but gets no thanks for his keen interest.
Up North, where “Vote early and vote often” is the watchword of many of the parties, Michael would have been regarded as merely
doing his citizen’s duty.
Personation takes many forms. Favourite targets for the personators are those who are known to be away at the time of an
election, or those who are regarded as extremely unlikely to vote — either because of indifference, or because they’re dead.
Although voters might be happy sunning themselves in Spain or enjoying their eternal rewards in we-know-not-where, their
electoral papers are still being happily used, casting votes for the local candidate.
One of the most bitterly contested seats in the last general election was between the SDLP and Sinn Féin in West Belfast. In
that ward, according to Pat Bradley retired Chief Electoral Officer, the result (which saw Gerry Adams elected) was not much
affected despite there being widespread personation, as it appears to have happened across the board. It was a case, said
Pat, of a ballot paper in one hand, and another ballot paper in the other.
Meanwhile, in the Republic, election-rigging has not been unknown, particularly during the Haughey era. A solicitor called
Pat O’Connor acted as Charlie Haughey’s election agent in the 1982 campaign. Pat took his job very seriously, to the extent
that after the election he was charged with voting in Malahide and a couple of hours later in Kinsealy. The charges against
“double agent” O’Connor were ultimately dropped (amidst more allegations of chicanery) but forever after Charlie’s chum was
known as Pat O’Connor Pat O’Connor.
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