Madam, - It is probable that everyone who reads The Irish Times reads the Letters page, but not everyone has time to absorb the full ration of news. So I was a day late in finding John Bruton's summary of the strengths of the existing ballot system, expressed in a letter to the Taoiseach in 2002 - "its manifest, almost painful, transparency".
"Every paper is visible," Mr Bruton wrote. "Every count is gone through manually. Everything can be observed by party workers. At the end, everyone has to be satisfied that things have been done fairly or there will be a demand for a recount."
Every TD knows this well. He or she, shoulder to shoulder with rival party activists, has watched the voting papers turned over, has seen the number after the name that matters. There is life, tension, joy in victory. What sort of "paper trail" or "outside observer" could match this scrutiny? - Yours, etc.,
MAIRE MULLARNEY,
Main Street,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
Madam, - Government leaders are hell-bent on forcing e-voting on the electorate and you'd wonder why. They say it's modern, quick, and efficient But they're not exactly rushing at it in the Dáil themselves, are they? When they vote in the chamber they queue like primary schoolchildren going to the toilet. It seems to take all day.
Don't do as I do, do as I say. . . - Yours, etc.,
KATHRYN MULREADY,
Calderwood Road,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Madam, - As Sam Goldwyn might have put it: an electronic vote isn't worth the paper it isn't written on. - Yours, etc.,
PAUL DELANEY,
Beacon Hill,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.