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Northern Ireland election

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Waste of time

  • Mark Devenport
  • 29 Mar 07, 03:15 PM

Just back from a seminar on our Assembly elections organised by the Electoral Commission, and attended by the political parties and other key players.

To my mind the most interesting contribution was from the Chief Electoral Officer, Douglas Bain. He argued that the election deposits, currently set at 拢150, were "a complete waste of time". Administering them took up a lot of work for his staff, but they didn't put anyone off standing. He said they should either be abolished or set at a more significant level.

He also didn't think much of the requirement that candidates must get 10 people to sign their nomination forms, on the grounds that most of them could get 10 people they'd met in the pub to sign on the dotted line.

Something else which emerged from an as still incomplete survey being carried out by the Electoral Commission was that 64% of people (so far they have only interviewed 400 people) appear to favour postal voting on demand.

There was also much talk of counting votes here electronically in the future.

So should they increase the deposit or do away with it? What do you think?

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 04:17 PM on 29 Mar 2007,
  • Brendan Horisk wrote:

Deposits should be at least 拢1000.00
and it is difficult to get around the nomination problem. If it is made more difficult then there would be accusations of denial of democratic rights.
As for the voting proceedure why not post out to everybody on the register a swipe card similar to a shopping loyalty card. Then let the voter have the priveledge of voting in their local shopping centre for a full week before election day as well as the opportunity of going to their local polling station. The same identifation rules should apply and the card once swiped would be "dead" and could not be used again .I believe this would imprive turnout by making voting more accessable to people. BH

They should definitely allow postal voting on demand - for many of us who don't know three weeks in advance that they'll definitely be spending a day working across the water.

  • 3.
  • At 12:05 AM on 30 Mar 2007,
  • tom wrote:

it should be abolished, raising it would only put people off standing, we need more people involving themselves with politics and anything that puts them off should be abolished

  • 4.
  • At 02:32 PM on 30 Mar 2007,
  • shrupas wrote:

Deposit should be set at 拢500 and 250 signatures needed before someone can stand.

  • 5.
  • At 01:08 AM on 31 Mar 2007,
  • Biff 2 wrote:

I agree with Tom the deposit should be abolished making it easy for anyone who wishes to put themselves forward for election .As it is the general opinion of the establishment seems to be that only the favoured few should be allowed to run ,and that the Rainbow Georges etc
are an inconvenience .I also would be sceptical of electronic voting and counting as it is open to fraud , the TK MAX credit card fraud , and USA elections being the obvious examples .As it is only one day what is the problem with having polling agents as scrutineers considering the money that's spent in other ways at elections .

  • 6.
  • At 01:22 PM on 31 Mar 2007,
  • David Mullan wrote:

150 pound to get my name on a ballot paper... I never knew it was so cheap. If I get this right, I can get 10 of my mates to sign on the dotted line, and give me 1.50 each we could get a "mention" on the ballot paper... That's got to give more kudos than writing "Mickeybo07" on the back of a pink citybus...

Ain't Belfast wonderful.

Seriously though, I agree that the deposit should be kept low in order to ensure that politics is open to everyone, but the number of signatures should be increased. If your scope of influence cannot gain 500-1000 signatures then you'll be of no use to the population as a politician...

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