LAST UPDATE | 5 Dec
VOTES WERE CAST, ballots counted and 174 seats have been filled in Dáil Eireann – but with an average of four-in-10 registered voters opting out of political participation, how healthy is Ireland’s democracy?
Overall turnout was 59.7 per cent in the general election, the lowest general election turnout in over a century. Electoral Commission Chief Executive Art O’Leary has suggested the turnout figure may be inaccurate due to as many as 500,000 duplications or deaths, however this is no anomaly but rather a consistent downward trend in political participation. In June, turnout for local elections was recorded at 49.4 per cent, while 50.7 per cent of the eligible electorate voted in the European election.
There is no simple answer as to why so many people in Ireland elected not to bother voting but several factors can lead to an increase in voter apathy including disillusionment and distrust of the political system, and barriers to voting like postal votes, polling station location and voter information.
The general election was called on the 8 November, with polling to take place only three weeks later. Speculation had been rife all summer that an early election would be called in November, but the last-minute nature of the announcement left little time for prospective voters; the deadline for postal votes was 48 hours later and the deadline for registration passed just two days after that.
The short window for voter registration would also have affected those limited by disability or illness who might have qualified for special voting measures such as voting in hospital, but who only had two days to file paperwork, including a medical certificate for first time users.
Ireland ranks among the top 25 per cent of countries in the world in the OECD Global State of Democracy Framework in all categories with the notable exception of local democracy, electoral participation and global suffrage. The last time Ireland reached a turnout of over 70 per cent in a general election was in 1987, at a local level turnout has not reached 60 per cent in almost half a century. By comparison, Denmark and other comparable democracies have not recorded a turnout below 80 per cent, while countries like Australia, which operates a compulsory voting system, have an average turnout over 90 per cent.
What are countries like Denmark and Australia doing differently, and what steps could the next Irish government take to strengthen electoral participation and Irish democracy?
Australia’s high turnout relies on mandatory voting; Citizens are required by law to vote, with $20 AUD fines for failing to perform their democratic duties without a reasonable excuse. There are several complementary components that increase participation; a form of auto-enrolment using information retained by other government agencies, voters’ ability to attend any polling station within their state and interstate polling stations if they are outside their home state – locations are announced weeks in advance, elections are always held on a Saturday and advance voting in-person or via postal ballots is available weeks ahead of polling day.
Rather than a right, Australians view voting as their civic duty, a sense fostered through a comprehensive civics education program in schools and further bolstered by the celebratory ‘democracy sausage’, a hot dog people purchase at polling stations, often to fundraise for community organisations. ‘Democracy sausage’ was named as the Australian word of the year in 2016 by the Australian National Dictionary Centre.
Those opposed to compulsory voting often cite infringements on personal freedoms but there are effective ways to ensure people are not obligated to vote for a candidate if they do not wish to do so. A ‘blank vote’ option is on the ballots in Brazil, and deciding to spoil your ballot could continue to serve as a valid protest.
Many countries that have mandatory voting either do not issue fines or offer loopholes for those who do not participate in elections. Not all laws are created to be enforced – but where compulsory voting is at least technically required, turnout is around 15 per cent higher than in countries that have a voluntary system. Compulsory voting in Ireland would be the single most effective tool to immediately increase political participation.
Denmark is a good comparative study for Ireland; Similar in population size with proportional representation and 175 members of parliament. However, average turnout in Denmark has been above 80 per cent for over a century and without a need for compulsory voting.
There are several other key differences between Ireland and Denmark, notably that of local representation. While both Ireland and Denmark elect a similar number to parliament, election statistics diverge significantly at a local level. Ireland has 31 local councils, electing 949 local representatives every five years. Denmark has 98 municipal councils and 5 regional councils electing 2,436 and 205 representatives respectively every four years.
Like Australia, Denmark uses shared government information to automatically enrol eligible voters to the register, including automatically updating changes of address. The country also offers advance voting to all eligible voters up to three weeks ahead of the election. Residents in care homes, hospitals and prisons have their votes collected, and Danes living abroad or travelling for work or a holiday can cast their ballot at any Danish diplomatic or consular mission as early as three months before the election.
A strong civic culture is similarly present in Denmark, including a focus on civics education at primary and secondary level, in addition to consistent citizen engagement in the form of town halls and citizens’ assemblies. Ireland first adopted the citizens’ assembly model in 2013 while Denmark has been using so-called consensus conferences since the 1980s and does so with greater frequency and locality.
A final consideration is infrastructure; Denmark may have a similar population size – 5.9 million to Ireland’s 5.2 million – but it has almost 40 per cent less land mass. Despite this, Denmark has over 1,000km more rail track than Ireland. For a small island, Ireland has shockingly poor public transport and road infrastructure, which can significantly impact travel to polling stations.
The next Irish government does not have to reinvent the wheel to make voting easier, the answers and evidence are already there; a national auto-enrolment register, advance voting up to three weeks before the election, overseas voting, a strong civics education program in schools and greater local engagement.
Ireland has one of the most restrictive electoral systems globally when it comes to extending the franchise to citizens outside the state and domestically operates a sluggish, outdated system that places the burden on the voter – not the state. The low turnout in the general election indicates a worrying detachment from representative politics and requires urgent intervention. However, considering the failure of previous governments to advance electoral reform, these much-needed changes seem unlikely to materialise.
Emma DeSouza is a writer and campaigner.
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