Over the course of 18 months, the inhabitants of Ireland will have the opportunity to participate in every conceivable form of election – local, European, national, presidential – including possible by-elections should members of the Oireachtas be elected to the European Parliament. Additionally, there are scheduled referendums to consider.
Ahead of this hefty voting schedule, the Electoral Commission is initiating a massive campaign to ensure voters understand the process of casting their vote. This comes in response to the discovery that over 108,000 votes were deemed illegitimate in the 2019 local and European elections, a number equating to the collective population of Drogheda, Dundalk, and Sligo.
Why is the topic of invalid votes arising now?
This concern was brought to the commission by returning officers who frequently encounter a significant number of nullified votes during each election. Some votes are purposely invalidated as a form of political assertion.
What errors are usually made?
Ms Justice Marie Baker, the commission chair, revealed that the majority of errors are unintentional. There are two common issues: firstly, voters failing to specify their top pick, resulting in no number one preference indicated on the ballot, which invalidates any additional markings. Secondly, the occurrence of two or more number one preferences being selected which leads to an uncertainty about who the first choice is.
Is that all?
There are numerous ways to nullify a ballot, but the Electoral Commission has also spotlighted instances where a voter extends their preferences across multiple ballots for different elections. For instance, a voter finishing the local election ballot and continuing onto a European ballot as though it were a continuation of the first preference instead of starting over.
Other potential issues could involve making any mark on the paper that could be interpreted as an identifiable mark, which breaches the privacy of the ballot.
What is the advisable strategy for preparation?
Ms Justice Baker advises voters to thoroughly ponder over their top choice in each election prior to heading to the polling station and to be ready to at least make that indication, in order to maximise the probability of the vote being counted. Furthermore, it is essential to examine each ballot because each one corresponds to a different election- local, European, or mayoral in Limerick.
There are over 100 local election candidates who hail from immigrant backgrounds. Seven of them are highlighted here.
It is requisite to register to vote; however, the polling information card is not essential. Voters can verify their status or register on checktheregister.ie
Presiding officers at the polling station provide assistance if required. In certain situations, they possess the authority to even evacuate and clear the polling station in order to safeguard the secrecy of the vote. This was stated by Art O’Leary, the CEO of the commission.
Mistakes made on the ballot paper are not a cause for concern. Erroneous papers can be surrendered to the presiding officer who classifies it as spoiled and issues a new one, offering another opportunity to vote.
The effective recording of first-preference votes can only be performed by marking with an ‘X’ or a tick.
Signature on the ballot is strictly prohibited. It is considered an identifying mark and therefore, it compromises the secret ballot and won’t be tallied.
Guidance for voting and video explanations can be found on the official electoral commission’s website: ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/urgent-appointment/
Following this set of votes, the Irish general election is scheduled to be held no later than this March. Additionally, 2025 will witness the next presidential election. The Government still has to determine a date for a proposed referendum for endorsing an EU agreement on a collaborative patent court. A referendum pertaining to housing rights has also been suggested, although it appears improbable to be held during this government’s tenure.