Mattie McGrath urges automatic voter registration for 18-year-olds
Mattie McGrath welcomed long-overdue electoral reform, backing measures to engage 16- and 17-year-olds while urging automatic registration for 18-year-olds. He also called for linkage with death records to remove deceased voters and praised the regulator's work on donation transparency.
Tribute to local council staff
He paid tribute to the county council staff in South Tipperary County Council and North Tipperary County Council who worked to update the electoral register with limited resources, saying the register was often "in a bit of a mess" on election day.
Youth registration and automatic enrolment
McGrath welcomed a rolling register to involve 16- and 17-year-olds but argued that registration should happen automatically when a person receives their PPS number at 18 - calling current processes archaic and needlessly slow.
Linkage with death records
He urged better linkage with death records so families are not left dealing with deceased names on the register, describing such situations as offensive and avoidable.
Donations and regulation
On reform of donations rules, McGrath said there had been a "wild west" period for decades but commended the CIPO for doing a very good job. He noted that the majority comply with reporting requirements and said those who fail to make proper returns should be dealt with severely.
Conclusion and handover
He described the measures as progress toward modernising electoral administration and handed the debate over to his colleague, Deputy Collins.
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Yes, I too want to welcome this long overdue reform of the electoral reform. In many areas, I suppose, I could be more widespread than what it is, but I do understand, I suppose, more steps are important. First of all, I want to pay tribute to the many people I have worked with over the years in the County Council, South Tipperary County Council and the North Tipperary County Council, who actually helped out and did a lot of work and updated the register and they were really in a void and a vacuum of, you know, they had the proper information a lot of the time, but they did their best with the limited resources they had, but the electoral register was often, really, when come election day, was in a bit of a, a bit of a mess and your whole streets were knocked off and there was anguish and everything else. So, I hope that we can divide that and I see where a rolling aspect of when 16 and 17 year olds can get involved and become, you know, get on our interests and getting on in the register and getting their, getting their place. And it's very important. We had debates and clamors for people to give a vote to 16, but at least to get them involved. I just spoke to a, a, a car alum in a canteen just a few minutes ago and I actually had her daughter here and woke his parents some years ago and she just turned 18 and I said that she registered. So, I, I think, it shouldn't be beyond the possibility nowadays, in this modern era, how do we see what happened in the open airport at the weekend, one would have to be left bewildered, that a person, when they get their PPS number, that they would automatically get their, be, be put on a register when they're 18, uh, bling a dish. And it should be. And like, why do we have to be so archaic and so slow? Well, I do welcome the fact of engagement with, you know, the 16 or 17 year old, but it should be happening automatically. And then the other area when, with, with, with, um, dead cells, it's awfully offensive for people to get posed and get many, many different issues to, to let the register, uh, when the family, families of deceased ones, when they're deceased. And there should be, there should be, there should be some linkage with, uh, death cells as well. So, this is a 2022, so I don't know why it's, it's so, so, so far back and so outdated, but look, as I said, we're making some progress, I hope. Then election reform around donations and all, yes, certainly we had the wild west for, for, for, for decades. And we have a CIPO now who do a very, very good job. And the best majority of people are, um, engaged with demand and do, and, and do 99 by 9%. And rightly so, what they don't, what they misbehave and don't do proper returns, they're dealt with and dealt with severely. So I hand over to my colleague, Deputy Collins. Uh? Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Oh! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that. I will do so much more. Yes, sir. Go, thank you! Smells funny! Something special. Oh! Yes, sir. I will do so much. Talking about this sign of ICE Club? I will truly stay right. No more. ству h, please? Okay. Thank you even. You must stay right before I'm going for this. Really? Thank you, my friend. So, I 한번, to Warum?
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