Some voters have complained after seeing Bibles present at the polling stations during last week's referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment protecting the rights of the unborn child.
According to reports, some voters thought it was inappropriate to find Bibles in the precincts and one voter told the Irish Times that it angered him to see the Bible at the polling desk.
"The last thing I saw before I voted was the Bible," Declan McGovern told the publication. "I thought there was a very strong message being communicated there."
McGovern said that he's a non-practicing Catholic who voted 'Yes' in favor of removing the Eighth Amendment from the constitution.
Other voters told the Irish Times that they saw images of the Madonna and Child in their precinct. But some voting sites, which were actually Catholic schools, removed any religious symbols before the referendum.
The Journal reported, however, that Bibles found at polling booths may not have been strategically placed to influence the voters' decision as a provision in Section 111 of Ireland's Electoral Act 1992 states that if voters come to the precinct without any ID or a polling card, they can swear by the Bible before they cast their vote.
Bibles were also present at the polling stations when Ireland had its Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015. Noting this, secularists filed a proposal in February to remove any religious symbols in voting sites in time for the abortion referendum.
"Referendums should take place in a secular environment that is neutral between religious and atheistic beliefs," the statement from Atheist Ireland read. "There should be no symbols or practices in polling stations that endorse either religion or atheism, and all voters should be treated equally."
In the referendum, 66.4 percent of Irish voters declared that they were in favor of repealing the Eighth Amendment in support of abortion.
