All eyes in the political sphere are currently fixed on the Electoral Commission, which is due to deliver its recommendations on revised constituency boundaries shortly. While these will be consequential for the prospects of many politicians and for the size and composition of the next Dáil, they are not the only matters on the newly-established commission’s agenda. Revised constituencies for next year’s European Parliament elections are also expected, while the much-needed modernisation of the electoral register is an ongoing process. There is scope for improvement elsewhere in how elections are run, and the commission is empowered by statute to consider such matters in its annual research programme following consultation with the relevant minister and the Oireachtas.
Minister Darragh O’Brien wrote to commission chair Ms Justice Marie Baker last month to propose a number of topics for consideration in this year’s programme. His wishlist, based on commitments in the Programme for Government, includes some areas that are clearly ripe for review. Ireland is an international laggard when it comes to the provision of postal voting for those unable to attend in person on election day, and broader access to this facility is long overdue, while the extension of voting rights to over-16s would be a sensible and progressive step. Both measures would have the effect of broadening the franchise and increasing voter engagement.
Some other proposals from the Minister will provoke lively debate. The idea of restricting election posters will be welcomed by some who see them as unnecessary, visually obtrusive and environmentally indefensible, while others will defend them as a symbol of democracy in action and a local tradition to be cherished. Even more opposition can be expected to any attempt to replace Dáil by-elections with an alternates list system. That will widely be seen as a gift to sitting governments, which history shows can be destabilised or sometimes toppled by these contests. But both proposals at least merit consideration, as does the question of the length of time a voter may be absent from the constituency in which they are registered while retaining their franchise.
Ultimately, what research the Electoral Commission decides to undertake is a matter for its own members and any reforms it subsequently recommends will be considered by the legislature. Substantial change is therefore unlikely during the current electoral cycle, although the minister’s request that the poster issue be expedited suggests the Government may wish to implement change in that area more speedily. With local, European, general and presidential elections all due within the next 26 months, the State is entering into a period of unusually intense electoral politics which may itself help to inform the ongoing debate on necessary improvements.