An Coimisiún Toghcháin, or the Electoral Commission, will be reviewing several intriguing suggestions, such as allowing a decreased lower limit on the voting age and condoning the elimination of politicians’ addresses on voting papers. Both e-voting – a contentious topic in Ireland since a failed trial with electronic voting machines – and e-counting are outlined as likely subjects of study for 2026 according to the commission’s freshly announced research agenda.
The role of the commission encompasses investigating matters pertinent to the democratic infrastructure of Ireland. According to the plans laid out, a key point of enquiry this year will be a possible alteration to the currently established voting age of 18. The proposal cites the precedent set by nations including the likes of Austria, Scotland, Malta and Germany, where the voting age threshold has been reduced to either 16 or 17 for some classes of elections. It is also highlighted that making amendments to the voting age can potentially result in transformative outcomes, and might necessitate a referendum, based on the resulting findings.
The issue of whether politicians’ addresses should continue to be publicised on voting papers was brought up during public consultation, with concerns being expressed about the rise of a volatile political environment and risks to candidate security. Research aimed at addressing this issue, among wider issues concerning the layout design of voting papers – specifically, the alphabetical order of candidate names, which some regard as an unfair disadvantage for those candidates listed lower down, is due to take place next year.
Research on the topic of election posters is also on the docket to be conducted this year, the research project has captured differing viewpoints-ie, while some citizens categorise them as a blemish on urban landscapes, others consider them an essential factor in engaging citizens and leading them to vote.