The Northern Ireland Chief Electoral Officer has been urged to outline his plans for combating voting fraud in the North.
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With local government elections set for May 16th and a general election likely this year Ulster Unionist MLA Mr Derek Hussey called for the problem to be addressed urgently.
Speaking before an Assembly debate the member for West Tyrone said the issue of electoral fraud - including alleged irregularities through postal and proxy votes - had been raised on countless occasions over the past 20 years.
Mr Hussey said it was disturbing that people who had witnessed electoral fraud had been "unable to counteract" incidents.
The Ulster Unionist said after today's debate he would like the Chief Electoral Officer to explain his plans to ensure future elections are conducted properly.
But Sinn Féin Assembly member Mr Pat McNamee has urged the electoral office to make provisions for people facing difficulties in getting to vote.
The Newry and Armagh MLA has tabled an amendment to Mr Hussey's motion calling for improved efficiency of the registration and balloting systems.
"We think we have to ensure that everyone who has the right to vote is facilitated, enabled and encouraged to vote, and especially those who traditionally maybe have less of a tendency to vote such as the elderly and the unemployed," he said.
Mr McNamee told BBC Radio Ulster that allegations linking Sinn Féin to electoral fraud have never been borne out by academic studies.
PA