The Electoral Office is being urged to relocate a polling station from a loyalist area to a neutral section of the Springfield Road.
At present, voters living in the area between Mackie's factory and the roundabout at the junction of the Springfield Road and the North Circular Road have to enter the loyalist Ballygomartin Road in order to cast their votes.
Forthriver Primary School on the Ballygomartin Road serves as the polling station for the area for both Westminster and local elections.
Lower Falls councillor Tom Hartley is concerned that this effectively prevents many nationalists from making use of their votes, and suggests that other buildings could present a neutral environment for people of any persuasion to vote.
"Given recent events in the area, including homes being attacked, which has resulted in a major upheaval in the area, nationalists are afraid to go into very strong loyalist areas. This is disenfranchising a substantial number of the nationalist community.
"Sinn Féin workers would also need to be very careful of standing outside a polling station in such an area. The Methodist Hall on the Springfield Road, I believe, would present a neutral venue for voters of all political persuasion. Unionists from the other side of the peace-line would be able to access it via Workman Avenue," said Cllr Hartley.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Denis Stanley, said that they keep the polling station scheme under constant review but were having problems in deciding the appropriate venue for the Springfield Road.
"The problem with the Springfield Road is that there is not a great number of locations to choose from. We looked at the Methodist Hall at Workman Avenue but there are strong sectarian concerns about it because of its proximity to the gate. This is a flashpoint area which has had trouble in the past and we don't want on polling day to have incidents right outside."
The Electoral Office say that they welcome suggestions for a suitable location.
