Fianna Fáil's Dublin Central byelection candidate councillor John Stephens is registered to vote at two properties: his Dublin home and his second house in Galway – even though it’s never been his principal residence.
The Ditch reported yesterday that deputy lord mayor of Dublin Stephen lied in a 2000 planning application for the four-bedroom home in Kinvara, Galway.
Under electoral law voters are only entitled to be registered to vote in one area. Though it’s common for voters to forget to remove their names from the electoral register when moving home, this does not apply to Stephens, because he’s never lived at his Galway property.
The first-time councillor recently told party colleagues, "Dublin Central has always been my home" and he’s worked at the Mater Hospital since 2001.
Stephens declined to comment.
