Watton angry over charges for voters

Progressive Unionist Party candidate Russell Watton has told The Times that he was ‘disgusted’ to learn that prospective voters who require postal voting forms had to pay a fee to have a section of the form filled in by their GP.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th May 2014, 07:00 BST

The Coleraine man said that he was told by two different clinics that a fee would be charged to fill in the form - one was £10, the other was £20.

“Postal votes for those with disabilities and life threatening conditions should never be the subject of debate.

“However this week I left two postal vote forms at different Health Centres.

“These forms must be signed by a GP to verify the voter’s condition to enable them to make a postal vote.

On both occasions I was told this would cost an administrative fee of £10 and in some cases £20.

“It is a disgrace and a scandal that the most vulnerable in society have to pay to vote.

“Surely this travesty should have been picked up by the Assembly long ago.

“Now that this has been highlighted - perhaps the human rights of the disabled will be taken into consideration.”

Coleraine