Madam, – Why was the recent byelection held on a Thursday? A midweek election all but disenfranchises those who work or study outside their constituency. Would it not be more democratic to have the forthcoming general election not midweek but coinciding with the weekend visit home?
Donegal South West is not the only constituency with this problem. All along the west and south this will be repeated in the coming election unless there is change. Bureaucracy may disenfranchise voters who have not registered. Sometimes we forget that a woman died under the hooves of a horse to secure the vote for her sex. And there are thousands of others forced abroad, too busy seeking work to seek a postal vote. This is an angry generation, reluctant participants in another diaspora. Who speaks for them? In this electronic age, can we find a way for these to cast their vote abroad? We will get the Government we vote for. – Yours, etc,