MINISTER FOR HOUSING and Local Government Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan have today welcomed the establishment of An Coimisiún Toghcháin (the Electoral Commission) ahead of next year’s local elections.

The commission will take on a range of existing electoral functions, including explaining to the public the subject matter of referendums and reviewing Dáil Éireann and European Parliament constituencies as well as local electoral area boundaries.

Both Ministers have also welcomed the appointment of Supreme Court judge Marie Baker to the role of commission’s Chairperson.

Her appointment to the role of Chairperson completes the commission’s seven-person membership, following the appointment of four ordinary members in December.

The Clerk of the Dáil and the Ombudsman will sit as ex officio members of the commission.

O’Brien said:

“I urge the public to engage with the important, upcoming work of the Commission in protecting and modernising our electoral landscape.”

“An Coimisiún Toghcháin is independent of Government, reporting directly to the Oireachtas and will be central to the administration, development and protection of our democratic processes and institutions.”

He added that the commission will oversee the preparation and maintenance of the Register of Political Parties.

“It will also carry out a number of new functions including research on electoral policy, the regulation of online political advertising and protecting the integrity of elections,” he concluded.

The Electoral Reform Bill 2022 paved the way for the commission’s creation, allowing it to take over the work of the Referendum Commission, Constituency Commission and the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees.

The Bill also allows for the expansion of the number of TDs within the Dáil due to Ireland’s growing population.

The bill allows for the number of TDs to increase to at least 169 TDs and up to a maximum of 179 TDs.

Preliminary data from the 2022 Census shows that the Dáil will require at least 11 new TDs, as Ireland’s population is now at 5,123,536 people, the highest figure since 1841.

This will lead to an increase in the number of TDs who are elected to the 39 constituencies, due to the Constitution requiring one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people.

The commission may be involved in increasing the number of TDs in some 3 and 4-seater constituencies, or creating new constituencies entirely.