Yesterday, I accompanied our 9 year old to the count centre at City Hall, Cork. It was the first time I was ever at a count centre. It was an experience that I recommend to all, and not just for the pencils and tally sheets that our happy nine year old brought home.
While we watching the gathering of the votes of Mick Barry into bundles of 50, we spotted, in a short time frame, that three voting papers did not have the perforated stamp and so were consigned to the doubtful box and presumably deemed invalid.
It is probable that these voters cast their votes trusting the system that each vote would count in the election process. This morning, I heard of Tommy Broughan in Dublin complaining of 150 non-punched papers in his constituency.
I remember my ballot paper being punched on Friday morning but if it had not been done, I am not sure that I would have been alert enough to bring it to the attention of those working at the Polling Station.
That lesson has now been learnt by me – and our nine year old.