Independent Kildare Councillor Bill Clear’s home was subject to an attack this week following an unsuccessful attempt at running for election where he had to publish his home address.

Electoral law states that when you put forward a nomination paper there should be the name, address and the occupation of the candidate running for election.

Recently, multiple protests outside and attacks on politician’s homes have raised the question – should General Election candidates have to disclose their home address?

Councillor Clear told Lunchtime Live he believes the attack was “definitely targeted”.

Having just run for election – with the requirement of having his name and address put “everywhere” – Cllr Clear believes it would be a “bit of a coincidence” if this incident “just happened” right after the election.

“There was some infrastructure up through the town, which I would’ve put in, and that was all destroyed,” he said.

“I've had a few incidents over the years - I have been photographed, we've had people outside our house with balaclavas one morning as well - this is ongoing.”

"What's next?"

Cllr Clear said the incident was “quite surprising” and he and his family are worried about “what’s next”.

He said he doesn’t understand why people are “so angry and so mad” at him.

“I'm not in a party, I'm not in power, we don't do big policies,” Cllr Clear said.

“[Knowing that] someone is so angry and so hateful, that they hate you so much that they will actually travel to your house and do this, you know, that’s actually the hardest part.”

Last night some thugs threw a rock in our front window. Cowards the lot of you. Haven't the balls to say it to my face. Guards investigating and have a few people in mind.
You have to think is it all worth it sometimes. pic.twitter.com/H78OJAPGNS

— Councillor Bill Clear (@billclear45) December 4, 2024

Cllr Clear is calling for need for disclosure of politician’s addresses to be erradicated.

“I think these exact addresses put our families at risk,” he said.

Cllr Clear said he is “very critical” of the Electoral Commission and the “lack of information” they provide.

“I mean, they're going to do research and then they might look at guidelines and then they might think about it and then they might bring legislation,” he said.

“I mean, you have to ask, what are they doing in between all these elections?

“What are they going to wait for? They're going to wait for someone to be killed, you know?”

"A lot of criticism"

The Irish Independent’s political correspondent Gabija Gataveckaite said there has been “a lot of criticism” around the requirement for politician’s to publish their home address for “many years”.

“What's been said in recent years by the outgoing Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, is that a candidate's address doesn't necessarily need to be their home address, but it can be, for example, a constituency office,” she said.

“Of course, not everybody might have a constituency office - I think they previously also said it could even be a PO box in the constituency.”

Puts people off

The Electoral Commission has been tasked with putting together a research brief or discussion document on the issue, Ms Gataveckaite said.

“That's supposed to come before the end of the year,” she said.

“Also, we know that the Social Democrats put forward a piece of legislation that would remove that requirement that you don't need to put your address down.

“But currently, the electoral law states that the address is needed as a way of identifying the candidate and ensuring the transparency of elections.”

Ms Gataveckaite said this risk and the inability to afford a constituency office or PO box puts people off getting involved in politics.

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Main image: A smashed window in Cllr Bill Clear's house after an attack on his home. Image: Bill Clear.