Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1961 > Committee on Electoral Law > Joint Committee on Interim, 2nd Interim, 3rd Interim and Final Reports - Electoral Law

IIMEACHTAÍ AN CHOMHCHOISTE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

Dé Céadaoin, 14 Meitheamh, 1961.

Wednesday, 14th June, 1961.

1. The Joint Committee met at 4 p.m.

2. Members Present.

The following members were present:—

Deputy Healy (in the Chair), Deputies Booth, Seán Browne, Loughman, McQuillan, Moloney, O’Sullivan and Sweetman, Senators Cole, L’Estrange, Ó Maoláin and Ryan.

3. The Joint Committee deliberated.

4. Draft Final Report of Joint Committee.

(i) Postponed paragraph 31.

Paragraph read as follows:

“The Joint Committee agrees with these proposals but considers that twenty rather than thirty electors in a county or county borough should be a sufficient number to satisfy the Minister for Local Government of the inadequacy of polling facilities in their area. It recommends that paragraph 2 (e) should be amended accordingly. It also considers that in paragraph 2 (h) the words ‘at the polling place assigned to that district’ be deleted and the words ‘or part thereof at the normal polling place’ be substituted.”

Paragraph agreed to.

(ii) Postponed paragraph 32.

Paragraph read as follows:

“32. The Joint Committee recommends that as far as possible polling places to serve electors in institutions should be in the institutions themselves or convenient to them.”

Amendment proposed (Deputy Loughman):

“In line 1, to delete ‘as far as possible’.”

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(iii) Postponed paragraph 33.

Paragraph read as follows:

“The Joint Committee also recommends that, if possible without extensive amendments, the name ‘polling place’ should be used to describe the building in which polling takes place and ‘polling booth’ the actual compartment where the votes are recorded. It recommends that in any event the meaning of the term ‘polling place’ should be clarified. At present it is apparently interpreted loosely to mean either a building or an area.”

Amendment proposed (Deputy Loughman):

“In lines 1 and 2, to delete ‘if possible without extensive amendments,’ and, in line 5, to delete ‘in any event’.”

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(ii) Paragraphs 54 to 57, inclusive, agreed to.

(v) Paragraph 58 postponed.

(vi) Paragraphs 59 to 63, inclusive, agreed to.

5. Adjournment.

The Joint Committee adjourned at 5.35 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday next.