The general election is finally happening, right?
It is indeed. Ireland will vote in the representatives to sit in the 34th Dáil on Friday, November 29th. The weekday vote marks a return to a tradition that was broken last time out.
A tradition?
For decades elections in Ireland used to take place on Thursdays or Fridays but in 2020 the election happened on a Saturday as the then taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he wanted to make it easier for students and for families with young children to have their say. Simon Harris had a different view although we’re not for a second suggesting he wanted to make it harder for students and for families with children to have their say.
How many TDs will be elected?
More than ever before is the first thing we should say. A total of 174 TDs will be returned to the 34th Dáil, up from 160 in the outgoing assembly. It was 158 in the 32nd Dáil.
And for a majority, party or parties need half of 174 plus one which makes 88 the magic number, right?
Wrong – well technically anyway. When it comes to electing a taoiseach and forming a government, the effective seat number is 173 because one of the TDs will be Ceann Comhairle, the speaker in the Dáil. If a coalition of parties can muster up 87 votes they would in theory be good to go although that won’t give them any margin of error and would make each subsequent vote in the Dáil a pretty tense affair. In reality, any coalition will want at least 88 TDs and would ideally have a buffer above that to be comfortable. The first sitting of the next Dáil is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18th.
Why do we have more TDs now than we did last time out?
The increase was recommended by the Electoral Commission to reflect a growing population and shifting demographics. Under the Constitution, one TD is required for every 30,000 constituents and for that to change a referendum would have to be held.
Have we had to squeeze all the extra TDs into existing constituencies?
No. As well as more TDs, the number of constituencies has increased from 39 to 43. The constituencies of Tipperary and Laois-Offaly have been split in two and there are two new constituencies in Wicklow-Wexford and Dublin Fingal West. Read our profiles of each of the 43 constituencies. We also have an explainer about how the electoral map has changed and why.
There is a list of all the candidates running across the country available and if you are wondering which candidate mostly aligns with your views we have you covered on that score too, thanks to this tool developed by Rory Costello from the University of Limerick.
What was the state of play when the last Dáil was dissolved?
Like this:
- Fianna Fáil – 35 (+ Ceann Comhairle)
- Sinn Féin – 33
- Fine Gael – 32
- Green Party – 12
- Labour – 6
- Social Democrats – 6
- Solidarity-People Before Profit – 5
- Aontú – 1
- Independents/Others – 24
*There were five vacant seats after deputies were appointed to the European Parliament in the European elections in June and the resignation of Fine Gael’s Joe Carey on medical grounds.
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So, could one party win outright this time?
No. As we said a party or collection of parties will need the support of 87 TDs to successfully elect a taoiseach. A coalition is inevitable and not just because it is what all the polls have been saying for donkeys’ years. No party is running enough candidates to achieve a majority on its own.
Who is promising what?
A cynic might suggest that everyone is promising everything. But we are not a cynic which is why we will just link you to the party manifestos.
- Fine Gael
- Fianna Fáil
- Sinn Féin
- Labour
- Green Party
- Social Democrats
- People-Before Profit
- Aontú
- Independent Ireland
You can compare the manifestos across 10 different policy areas using this nifty tool.
I am not sure if I am registered to vote. Is there a way I can find out?
There is indeed, checktheregister.ie site will have your name if you are registered while you can also call the local authority for confirmation. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you are not on the list by now you are not getting in to vote.
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Hooray, I am on the list so what time can I vote?
Polling stations open at 7am and will remain open until 10pm. If previous elections are anything to go by, polling stations will be busiest after 6pm so if you can get out to vote early, it should save you some time although queues at Irish polling stations are – thankfully – very rare so even if you have to vote at rush hour you should be in and out in no time.
I don’t know where my polling station is, where do I find that out?
Your polling card will tell you where you need to go to vote but if you can’t find it you can check it on checktheregister.ie or call your local city or country council and they will help you out.
What do I need to bring with me to cast my vote?
You will need ID and, ideally, your polling card but if you can’t find it don’t panic. You do not need it and a number of other forms of identification are acceptable. These include a passport, driving licence, public services card, an employee identity card containing a photograph, a student identity card with a photograph, a travel document with a photograph and name, or a bank, savings or credit union book with the voter’s address in the constituency. Voters can also show a chequebook, cheque or credit card, birth or marriage certificate, once they produce one of these with a document showing their address in the constituency.
And how do I vote?
This is where it gets interesting, at least for election fans like us. Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV) system of voting which differs from the first-past-the-post system used by the UK and the US.
What does that mean?
You don’t just vote for one person. Instead you can mark your ballot card in order of preference. Your first choice gets your number one and your second choice gets number two, your third gets number three etc, all the way down the ballot.
That seems complicated. What are the advantages of that?
The STV system provides a more representative outcome. In the first-past-the-post system, if a party wins 51 per cent of the votes in all the constituencies they win all the seats despite having the slenderest of majorities. In the STV system, the party wins – broadly speaking – only 51 per cent of the seats. It is complicated however which is why we have Paddy Smyth on hand. He wrote an explainer a few years back that is worth a read if you want to know how best to maximise your vote.
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But the bottom line is no Xs or ticks?
Absolutely not. If you put an X or a tick or a smiley face or anything else other than a clear number into the boxes, your vote won’t count. If you give two candidates a number one then your vote won’t count. In every election, many thousands of votes are spoiled, with 17,703 wasted in 2020. Some people do it on purpose as an act of protest or discontent. Others do it without knowing they are doing it. Don’t be one of those people. Oh, and don’t be taking selfies in the polling booth either. That is not allowed and might get you into trouble. If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, the returning officer may give you another ballot paper.
What do the polls say?
Our last poll of the campaign, published this week, had Fianna Fáil in the lead on 21 per cent of the vote, Sinn Féin in second on 20 per cent and Fine Gael in third on 19 per cent, after a six-point fall in support in less than two weeks. Among the smaller parties, the Green Party was at 4 per cent; Labour 4 per cent; Social Democrats 6 per cent; People Before Profit 3 per cent; Aontú 3 per cent; Independents (including Independent Ireland) 17 per cent. Undecided voters, who are excluded from the above figures, were at 19 per cent.
However, that’ll all be immaterial by Friday evening as it all comes down to how you vote. Have your say.
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