In a momentous decision, the government has extended the university franchise for Seanad elections to incorporate all tertiary education graduates. This is, however, overshadowed by the lack of action taken for broader reform of the upper house election system, which is notably disappointing.
Remarkably, it’s taken a government 45 years to enforce a popular referendum decision regarding the expansion of the university franchise, which was previously restricted to graduates of the National University of Ireland (NUI) and Trinity College. This legislative shift was endorsed by the cabinet this week, set to be presented to the Dáil in a month, albeit not in time for the impending Seanad election.
Beyond this, it seems the government is not taking steps to bring about the more significant Seanad reforms suggested by an expert group headed by the ex-House leader and NUI Chancellor, Maurice Manning. This group was established after the public rejected the proposal to abolish the Seanad in 2013, and was tasked with recommending reforms that would bypass the need for a referendum.
In a 2015 report, they proposed retaining the current electoral system, which is comprised of five vocational panels and one university panel, but suggested that all citizens should have a vote, not just the county councillors forming the majority of the current electing body. They suggested 30 out of 60 Seanad seats should be open to public election, another six for tertiary education degree holders, 13 for councillors, while the government would retain the right to appoint the final 11.
Controversially, they also proposed giving voting rights to Northern Ireland residents and wider Irish passport holders globally. While this found little favour with successive governments, there is no obstacle preventing the Coalition from enforcing the crux of the Manning report’s recommendations, ensuring everyone on the existing electoral roll has voting rights.