FIANNA FÁIL CANDIDATE in Galway East Anne Rabbitte has urged the Irish Wheelchair Association to tell local authorities what polling stations are inaccessible after the organisation claimed a number of selected locations were inappropriate.

Speaking to local radio station Shannonside FM yesterday, the organisation’s advocacy director Joan Carthy said it was an “absolute disgrace” that some polling stations were inaccessible and that it denies people their access to vote.

Asked about issue at Fianna Fáil’s disability policy launch yesterday, the outgoing junior disability minister Rabbitte said the issue was not flagged during the local and European elections and called on the organisation to get in contact with councils.

“It is still nine days to the election and it’s incumbent on each local authority to get out the two-by-one pieces of plywood to make sure that every polling station is accessible,” she told reporters.

A wheelchair access to a polling station in West Cork during the 2020 general election. Alamy File Photo Alamy File Photo

“It is doable, and the other local authorities have ensured that polling stations are all accessible,” Rabbitte added, claiming that the feedback during the local and European elections in June last was that polling stations were accessible.

She said: “If there’s polling stations that are not accessible, I would like the Irish Wheelchair Association to share that with the local authorities so as we can ensure that everybody has access to vote in their own community.”

Party leader Micheál Martin said that most polling stations are based at locations, such as schools and community centres, which tend to be wheelchair accessible. He said that any station that the organisation name will be reviewed.

Martin added that any polling station that is found to be inappropriate will be made accessible to wheelchair users before polling day.