Why was the election on thursday?

johnners2981

I'm sure a lot of people aren't able to vote on Thursdays with being away at work or college during the week so why have the vote on a Thursday?

Plus schools were closed today and reopening tomorrow, would it not have made sense to have the vote on Friday instead.

Toby Take a Bow

If schools are an issue, surely weekend voting would be the answer?

Usual suspicion around the Thursday voting is to prevent student radical voting, but I'm sure there's a more straightforward answer.

InchicoreDude

I have always wondered why they have to be on a weekday at all. Why not at the weekend, on a Saturday. And then leave the schools open....

Fergus_Nash

No, no. It's just to stop the students voting. The govt thought Norris had a chance at the time of the decision but it will probably work against Gallagher.

Victor

You do realise that students can vote?

It is a national election / referendum after all.

People should be registered where they live, not where they go for the weekend.

mike65

Elections in Ireland have always taken place on Thursday (as in the UK) as far as I know.

Interestingly Sunday, which for many would be the logical day is expressly forbade (along with Good Friday and Public Holiday)

johnners2981

Victor wrote: »

You do realise that students can vote?

It is a national election / referendum after all.

People should be registered where they live, not where they go for the weekend.

Yes I know students can vote but they are registered in their home place not in their college town where they during the week.

Plus I know a lot of people who work in a different county for the week and come home at the weekend.

You're probably going to say that they should change where they are registered but if the voting was on a Friday they wouldn't have to.

Fergus_Nash

But I live in on campus in UCD. I'm doing Arts and I'll be finished in 2014. When is the next election going to be? General election should be, if the govt goes its full term, in 2015. I have no affinity to any local councillors in this area so why should I go to the hassle of changing where I vote.

I was able to vote this morning because I was going home last night for another thing, otherwise I wouldn't have voted. The same for every other student outside the Dublin Bus radius. The deadline for a postal vote came and went with the vast majority not knowing about it, including the Students Union who were very annoyed about it.

There would have been no hassle for students if it had been held on a Friday or at the weekend.

johnners2981

mike65 wrote: »

Elections in Ireland have always taken place on Thursday (as in the UK) as far as I know.

Interestingly Sunday, which for many would be the logical day is expressly forbade (along with Good Friday and Public Holiday)

Is there anything priests haven't ruined

Fergus_Nash

mike65 wrote: »

Elections in Ireland have always taken place on Thursday (as in the UK) as far as I know.

Interestingly Sunday, which for many would be the logical day is expressly forbade (along with Good Friday and Public Holiday)

General election this year was a Friday.

wow sierra

As far as I can remember the last time we had an election/referendum on a Thursday was the local and European elections in 2004. I have no idea why they changed as historically they had been on Thurs and they changed to Friday to suit travelling voters like students.

Maybe they didn't want the count going on on Sunday seeing as it was going to be a two day count - can't think of any other reason.

johnners2981

Fergus_Nash wrote: »

General election this year was a Friday.

It does look like it's to prevent students from voting or is there another reason?

mike65

Fergus_Nash wrote: »

General election this year was a Friday.

Indeed! Dunno why I forgot that. There was plenty of take about it at the time (moving it for the students blah blah blah). Was there a higher youth turnout does anyone know?

Chucky the tree

the only thing that prevents students from voting is the students themselves.

Plazaman

Victor wrote: »

You do realise that students can vote?

It is a national election / referendum after all.

People should be registered where they live, not where they go for the weekend.

True but several thing intervene changing your vote. Mainly most County Councils will only focus on the register at a certain time of the year, do all the work in the one go. Change your details in Sept, you may have moved/dropped out/can't find where to go to give your new details etc by June. Plus that pesky studying and exams may get in the way.

wow sierra

Plazaman wrote: »

True but several thing intervene changing your vote. Mainly most County Councils will only focus on the register at a certain time of the year, do all the work in the one go. Change your details in Sept, you may have moved/dropped out/can't find where to go to give your new details etc by June. Plus that pesky studying and exams may get in the way.

You can apply to go on the "Supplementary register" once you apply more than 15 working days (3 weeks to ye students) before the election date. To be honest I would have sorted it in advance - but I am a political nerd;);)

That said Friday is a much more suitable day for an election so I have no idea why it was changed.

Tigger

schools arfe all closed all next week so it would have made sense to have it then
but hey
its because we're different

jimmycrackcorm

That's the infuriating thing about democracy. It's not possible to change the day of the week to vote on because you don't even to get to vote on it and even then you might not be able to travel.