Low turnout at polling stations.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242000#Comment_122242000

Is that a joke post?

magicbastarder

Spoiled votes are counted. Without them, we'll never get actual real change.

not sure if serious?

purplefields

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241666#Comment_122241666

If you disagree with anything I've posted, please do air your views.

Otherwise it appears like an attempt to close me down.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242013#Comment_122242013

How can you get real change by spoiling your vote?

They are counted, but have zero effect on the outcome of the election.

magicbastarder

they're counted in the same way that the answers you got wrong at a quiz are.

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242000#Comment_122242000

With them we'll never get change either…

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242022#Comment_122242022

I'm not trying to close you down (not sure how I could!). I'm merely suggesting that your posts show a childish attitude towards something important.

rossie1977

Local/European elections have done around 50% turnout in recent cycles

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058355263/low-turnout-at-polling-stations

In Ireland (and the UK) voting is a right, in other countries (Belgium for example) voting is a duty and authorities will follow up when you do not vote.

MacDanger

I actually agree that if a voter genuinely doesn't want to vote for any of the parties/candidates on a ballot, spoiling their vote is a more effective way of communicating that dissatisfaction than simply not voting (which is simply interpreted as apathy)

If a large enough proportion of the electorate exists that were of that mind and created a national campaign on that basis, it would send a genuine message to the existing parties (or potentially provide the basis for the formation of a new party)

magicbastarder

Yep, a 'none of the above' should be a valid option on a ballot. Because people who spoil deliberately and people who do so accidentally are not distinguished.

Pauliedragon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241302#Comment_122241302

The turnout no's in Australia are misleading. Voting is compulsory but a lot of people spoil the vote on purpose just to avoid the fine. What they do I think that's better is the voting is on a Saturday. They have a BBQ and cakes donated and sell them for a few bucks with the proceeds going to the the school where the vote is held. People hang around have a sausage roll and a chat no rushing from work. I never understood this midweek voting.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242259#Comment_122242259

There's a theory - and I'm simply reporting it, not expressing any opinion on its validity - that midweek voting tends to favour the status quo as younger people - students, Mon-Fri renters, the "home to mammy with the laundry brigade", etc. (i.e. the cohort who are less likely to vote along lifelong party lines) aren't at their home place, where they're likely still registered to vote.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241517#Comment_122241517

Not much coverage of the EU on Irish news. Only British and American politics, Hardly ever anything about the EU or EU countries.

AMKC

I think people who are well capable of voting and do not even bother are a disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves. People died so we could have the freedom to vote and there is millions possibly even billions of people in the World who would love to be able to vote or can like in Russia but know its fixed and very little they can do about it.

So yes I think it's very important that we vote. I think it should be Compulsory. Both my brothers and both my sisters did not and I was very annoyed with them over that. One runs a business but he is the most arrogant, ignorant person and I do not see that business lasting 10 years.

Both my parents voted as they know the importance of voting.

PsychoPete

People not voting because they couldn't be arsed is grand but they can't then turn around complaining about local issues not been sorted or complain if a councillor will do nothing for them if they don't vote

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241610#Comment_122241610

How exactly is it rigged? While we have two parties that are the largest, we also tend to be more likely to have coalition government so smaller parties can end up incredibly influential. The existing parties in many respects have attitudes that have changed as public opinion has shifted, socially in particular. The public choose to reelect them but that's entirely as a result of the way people have chosen to vote. On top of that we're one of the few countries that ever get the opportunity to directly vote on constitutional changes. So yep, we're a democracy and it's an insult to those who live under authoritarian regimes when you start claiming that our political system isn't that different to North Korea's…

Kiteview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122241378#Comment_122241378

Actually, the only duties placed upon citizens by the constitution - which was democratically approved by the electorate - is that of a duty to provide for their children and a requirement of "Fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State".

To my mind, anyone who fails any of those duties should be automatically barred from standing for election.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242461#Comment_122242461

There is plenty of coverage on the news and in the printed media. Are you expecting wall to wall coverage of the goings on within the EU or what?

I still don't see how a percieved lack of coverage of the EU on Irish news translates into "People don't care about the European Union."

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242708#Comment_122242708

I do. The Irish media reflecting Irish demands and they don't really want to read or hear about the EU. No end of coverage of the Tories or the Trump. They seem to excite more people.

Lack of coverage or interest in the EU doesn't indicate any preference for leaving the EU. They are two separate issues.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242725#Comment_122242725

I never mentioned anything about leaving the EU. I merely quoted you from earlier when you made the unsubstantiated claim that Irish people don't care about the EU.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242734#Comment_122242734

You did in the previous post.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242461#Comment_122242461

News I watch covers the EU, it also covers news stories from other regions.

None of which suggests nobody in Ireland cares about EU which is what you claimed

Big Bag of Chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242373#Comment_122242373

2020 general election was on a Saturday. Turnout was about 62%

2016 general election was on a Friday. Turnout was about 65%

Polling stations are open until 10pm. If someone is away Mon- Fri and are interested enough to vote they'll have time to get home to vote. Equally, they can register to vote in their Mon-Fri area and don't have to come home at all.

People just aren't bothered. It takes a bit of effort to read up on candidates, find out who will serve you best, who you believe can actually deliver rather than just talk about it. Anyone interested enough goes out and votes. I think abstaining from voting if you don't really understand who you are voting for and why is a far more sensible option than voting for someone random just because you think you should vote.

CuriousCucumber

Does spoiling your vote really achieve anything?

I never remember seeing any serious discussions about the number of spoiled votes in any election.

Seems to me, that a low turnout gets more attention than the number of spoiled votes.

If someone is making a big deal about telling me that they've spoiled their vote, I'd consider them an attention seeker

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242774#Comment_122242774

Ah, I see what you're referring to - this was intended to point out the importance of the EU for the Irish people, not a daft suggestion that people wish to leave

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244337#Comment_122244337

I never said anything about Irish wanting to leave the EU. You didn't read my original comment properly.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244343#Comment_122244343

Sigh - I merely was pointing out that your suggestion that people don't care about the EU was not true.
I'm not going around in circles with this any more

csirl

Less than 50% is hard to understand.

The vast majority of my friends, family, work colleagues vote. Housebound elderly relatives were helped by family to get to the polling station.

I'm wondering who these people who dont vote are? Are there entire demographics or neighbourhoods where nobody votes?

magicbastarder

as mentioned earlier, the register overstates the actual number of people on the register. my wife is on it twice; there are people on it who have died but never been removed, etc.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244360#Comment_122244360

I don't agree. Hardly ever any media coverage of the EU. Low turnout. Weak and crackpot candidates.

I don't detect huge interest in the EU here. We support membership but seemingly prefer to get motivated about Trump.

plodder

Councillors and TDs don't know who you voted for, but they can check if you voted. I've heard of some checking that when they get a query or request from a constituent, and they might pay a bit more attention to your request if they know you do vote.

I don't see widespread postal voting in GE's becoming a thing. The categories currently allowed are pretty much all reasonable exceptions, but the risk to the constitutional requirement for secrecy could be too high if anyone can get a postal ballot. Some evidence of that from the UK.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245131#Comment_122245131

you're saying the 'attendance record' is maintained after the election and can be seen by councillors?

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245151#Comment_122245151

They are allowed to inspect it after the election for a period, is my understanding.

magicbastarder

interesting, i had never considered that could be a thing.

given that, are they more or less likely to help someone who hasn't voted? you could argue that if they have voted, they know what their preference is and are unlikely to change easily.

but if they haven't voted, they are 'available' as a floating voter.

MacDanger

The head of the electoral commission was on Moncrief a few weeks back and said that the register of who voted in the last election is available - he didn't specify explicitly to whom but he made it sound like all candidates have access to it

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245166#Comment_122245166

I don't know for sure, but I'd say most voters nowadays are 'floating' in some sense and particularly for something like the locals, if a councillor (or candidate) helps a voter in some way, then on average some percentage of voters will return that with a vote in the next election. Not saying all politicians think that way, but some probably do.

I only heard it from one the lads I work with. His wife went to vote after finishing work and the polling station was closed when she got there. He said tgat was about 9 pm, and the whole place was closed up. They live in Shannon, but as to which one exactly, I could not tell you.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245328#Comment_122245328

I'm pretty sure that would be getting national attention and a lot more would be complaining if that had actually happened tbh. Given it's somebody from work, you should be well able to ask which one btw which would be a lot more verifiable...

If you read my comment correctly, you will see I placed the caveat of "for instance" before using the example of the hospital. There are other possible reasons for not being able to vote and nowhere did I claim they account for the dull 50% of those who didn't vote. Now seeing as you did try to claim that is what I dhd, lets look at how many hospital bed are in the country and how many of them are actually full. Seeing as we are constantly hearing how the HSE ran A&E departments are full of people admitted but on trolley waiting for beds to become I would say they are all full. ( Friend of mine lately spent 3 days on a trolley in UHL, before getting a bed) and how many of those were eligible voters? I think you will find there would be several thousand across the country, just from that alone.

Now back to the closed polling station, all I know is that it was in Shannon, and his wife went at 9.00 pm to vote after work.

If that is being directed at myself trying to bring the legitimacy of the election into dispute....well maybe, as the question I posted has crossed my mind, however, if you check my profile you will see I'm not that new a poster.....I just don't post that often. Generally only if I have a question or an opinion that I would like to see what others think of it.

dulpit

Imma call nonsense on a polling station being closed early.

One scenario re. postal voting that isn't addressed is people who are away on a holiday. The dates of an election tend to be announced within a few weeks of the election itself, whereas most people book a holiday months or more in advance. My friend was away last week for instance, wanted to vote but couldn't (I know that the local/European elections are more fixed dates, but point still holds)

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245400#Comment_122245400

You can't find out where this mysterious polling center is? 😊

True, I might actually ask him next time we are both on shift together. Won't be for another couple weeks though. Other side of the coin is do I really want to draw him on me, if you know what I mean.

Big Bag of Chips

 He said tgat was about 9 pm, 

Sounds fairly specific! Unspecified polling station at an approximate time. I'm guessing it didn't happen.

L1011

Is there any chance they went to a former location and found it closed; cause it had never opened to begin with? Polling stations do move.

Only island polling stations will have closed before 10. If one not on an island had closed early, we would have heard about it and there would be legal challenges in from whoever ran in that area, and came close but didn't get in.

Well, he was pretty adamant about it being around 9pm mark, because he was saying his wife went to vote after she finished work. As to it being earlier open in the day, I would think that he would have voted at the same polling station himself so would have known it was open. As I have previously said, he is from Shannon, so I would presume it was one of the Shannon polling stations, so that narrows it down to a pretty specific area

Anyone else on here from Shannon that can maybe throw light on it. As I said earlier, I won't be on shift with him again for a few weeks.