2023-9 NI council elections in May. Fairer?

The last OSCE observation of an NI election was in 2003.  In their report:

https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/8/c/19324.pdf

a major recommendation suggested that, “…the law should be amended to restrict campaign activity on election day or to prohibit such activities within a certain distance from the entrance to the polling station.”  (Section VIII, para 2.) 

This concerns not only the activists outside the polling stations, but also the candidates’ agents inside!  As the report itself notes, “(while) Laws prohibit any information from leaving the polling station… several parties acknowledged that agents release information about who has or has not voted to party members waiting outside the polling station so that efforts can be made to get late voters to the polls.”  (Section VII, sub-section C, para 2.)  This horrible practice continues and was observed again in 2022, as stated in a local report of those elections:

http://www.deborda.org/home/2022/5/10/2022-7-ni-assembly-elections.html

Accordingly, the undersigned call upon the EONI, with perhaps the support of the NI Electoral Commission, to limit the role of party activists and candidates’ agents on polling day, not only to be more in line with international standards, but to make NI elections fairer to all concerned, especially the voters.

          Endorsed by: 

Jonny Clark                                 Corrymeela

Peter Emerson                             The de Borda Institute

Roy Garland

Wes Holmes                                New Ireland Group

Prof. Monica McWilliams          UU, formerly of the Women's Coalition

Malachi O'Doherty

Tommy Sands

and signing in a personal capacity, 

Rob Fairmichael                          INNATE

with support from political parties coming from:

Naomi Long                                Alliance

Mal O'Hara                                 Green Party