Sir, – Ciarán MacGuill suggests that weekend voting would “result in higher voter turnout” (Letters, January 22nd). This is far from clear.
The last general election in February 2020 was held on a Saturday, the first time there was a weekend election since 1918. Turnout was 62.9 per cent, 2.2 per cent lower than the previous election in 2016, which meant that the 2020 election had the second-lowest election turnout since independence.
Two referendums have been held on a Saturday, and neither occasion made a particularly strong case for future weekend voting.
Turnout at the 2012 children’s rights referendum was just 33 per cent, well below the average of around 42 per cent for standalone referendums held since 2000. The second Nice Treaty referendum in 2002 was held on a Saturday and turnout increased by 15 per cent on the first poll the previous year. However, the second vote was accompanied by a much more forceful campaign by the government, which had largely taken the first vote for granted, and this is likely to have boosted turnout.
The best that can be said based on the evidence to date is that weekend voting has had no clear impact on turnout in Ireland. With participation gradually falling, however, we will eventually have to come up with ways to boost turnout.
In the Czech Republic elections are held over two days, however article 16.4.1 of the Constitution currently precludes that here by stipulating that the polls in each constituency must take place “on the same day” (singular).
Other countries declare polling day to be a public holiday, although given the proliferation of public holidays in Ireland in recent years this is unlikely to appeal to the parents of school-age children, or to employers and businesses.– Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.