A file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the case of an alleged incident of "voter irregularity" at a polling station in Co Kerry during the local and European elections, gardaí have confirmed.
The allegation centres on claims of voter impersonation - where an attempt was made to cast the vote of a registered voter - at a polling station in Kenmare on polling day in June.
It is understood gardaí and polling station staff were alerted at around 8.30pm after canvassers and at least one candidate spotted a person who was not living in the local area emerging from the booth after allegedly casting a vote in the name of a registered voter.
The man registered to vote in Kenmare had not cast his vote. It is not known if the registered voter intended to cast his vote.
Gardaí confirmed that an investigation was under way shortly after the incident happened at a national school in the town.
County Registrar Pádraig Burke, returning officer for Kerry, also said enquiries were being conducted into a suspected case of impersonation and his staff were assisting gardaí.
A garda statement yesterday confirmed that "gardaí in Kerry are investigating a single incident of alleged voter irregularity at a polling station in Kenmare, which occurred on Friday 7 June 2024".
It added: "A file has been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions."
It is understood a number of statements have been taken.
A second inquiry in Co Kerry has also been sent to the DPP, focusing on voter registration in the run up to the 2019 local and European elections.
The file was sent to the DPP last year by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).
GSOC began the investigation into allegations centring on the supplementary register in Kerry after complaints in May 2019.
A garda at a station in Kerry is alleged to have stamped voter register forms without the voters being present.
The ombudsman opened what it described as "a public interest investigation" into the alleged irregularities after a complaint about irregular stamping of forms.
The allegations are centred on the Killarney area. Bundles of forms, possibly up to 200 additional voters or voters who were changing address, were allegedly stamped by a garda in a Garda Station.
Several calls - including a council motion have been - made for the matter to be brought to a conclusion for the sake of clarity and confidence in the electoral system.
