Local Election Ballot Papers for New Ross in Wexford had to be reprinted, after Postal Ballots were sent out, due to an error in the order of candidates. Did your candidate even bother to attend proceedings?
Is your Local Election Candidate in Wexford promising they will take care of businesses and bring transparency and oversight to the Council? If so they have failed to do so in the weeks leading up to the 2019 local elections.
The first opportunity for candidates to physically see the ballot papers, and provide oversight and pick up any potential mistakes, or potential conflicts, was completely ignored by ALL of the 60 plus candidates in Wexford, except for Renua’s candidate Dorota Kulesza.
Whilst all the other candidates dismissed the issuing of postal ballots as not important enough to attend, or even bother sending an agent, maybe coming from Poland, or being an accountant, Dorota Kulesza from Renua understands the importance of making sure the instruments of power are not left to chance. Had more candidates attended the issue of postal ballots and sealing of their ballot boxes, the error might have been picked up before the postal ballots were actually sent out. As it was, the postal ballots were sent out and the Returning Officer, Eddie Taaffe, now sits with the situation where a few dozen voters from New Ross will actually be unwillingly voting twice.
Eddie Taaffe, who has been with the council for nearly two decades as Director of Water Services and Director of Environmental Services amongst others, explained to candidate Dorota Kulesza’s agent that this is not a problem as they can clearly see which ballot papers are in the wrong order, so they will be picked out when the count takes place. He is certain the secrecy of the ballot will be maintained and that no votes will be counted twice. He does however admit that it is regrettable that some postal voters might not even bother sending in their second correct ballot paper as voter apathy is a problem in local elections. He states that they will be contacting the few dozen postal voters affected directly.
On the 9th of May the official ballot papers were sent out for the local elections and the ballot boxes in which the returned ballots would be put, were checked and sealed. The returning officer for Wexford and the sub returning officers for the 6 districts in Wexford were also present.
It is scary to see how election candidates, who profess to be competent and trustworthy are leaving democracy to chance. This is systemic of a greater problem in Ireland where democracy is taken for granted and we are flying fast and loose with it, willing to risk it for the sake of virtue signaling and self promotion…
At least in Doroto Kulesza we have a candidate who having been exposed to Socialism in Eastern Europe, understands and appreciates the importance of democracy and maintaining its application and processes!
The point however is that it is the duty of elected officials to provide oversight on behalf of the electorate, and in this case, ALL but one of the candidates in the Wexford County, failed miserably…
So when Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein, Labour, People for Profit, Independents, etc. spend thousands to tell you to trust them, look at their actions, not their words…
Don’t expect the mainstream owned local newspapers to say anything about this either…