EU Elections 2024 - Results

The stupidity of the Irish people who fell for the far right propaganda is going to be talked about in schools in many years when they are teaching the broad concepts of Irish history.

Every single feed based scanner on the market. All of them. Absolutely all of them.

Here's a group test of them

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-sheetfed-document-scanners

This is absolutely not an issue with scanning in ballots.

There are plenty of other issues

I would miss the long counts, it's a spectator sport at this stage. We don't miss things until they're gone.

Simplest way to reduce the count time would be to increase the number of constituencies to four (2 x 3 seat and 2 x 4 seat). This should bring the count time of the other constituencies into line with the current Dublin constituency. It would also reduce the geographic extent of the constituencies, reducing the much discussed disconnect between candidates and people at the other end of the current MNW and South constituencies. The downside of course would be that smaller constituencies tend to favour the larger parties and can thus be less representative overall, and of course any such move would be seen as part of a WEF/EU plot by the patriots etc.

It's probably best left as it is.

There's no need to change a system that works. We just need the count done quicker. Hire more counters, have alternating shifts so it can be run 24/7 until we have a result. The notion of pausing the count at ten pm and picking up the next morning is a joke in this day and age.

How could it not speed it up if you only have to deal with 1-5 preferences? More preferences filled in has to mean more work for the counters, for whatever % of the ballots are filled out to that.

I would think the vast majority of transfers don't go past the 6th preference.

You still have a huge number of transfers to count anyway. You're not reducing the numbers by a significant enough margin to save any real time.

The system is still representative. Why are surpluses essential for it to be representative? In the EU elections especially have marginal impact but having to process that many ballots for surplus distribution is effort and time. Let the parties manage their vote better if they're bothered about it.

Its less representative.

A redistribution of surpluses doesn't take very long. Its usually a very small number of votes that need to be redistributed. It only adds a significant amount of time when someone reaches the quota on Count #1 because all votes need to be recounted. When someone does it on transfers, only the transfers need to be considered.

Your solution then has the issue that the votes that bring a person over the line are not transferred and it logically follows that the candidate should still continue to receive transfers (which obviously makes no sense). If they cannot receive any further transfers, why do some votes transfer and others not?

And the "75-80%" of people are catered for, as they are in all the other countries where a list system operates.

You proposed 1 MEP per constituency. 75-80% of people are not represented in such a system. The figure can be as low Total / Number of candidates + 1 (as you cannot assume 100% transfers, it obviously never would be this low). Realistically, the representative figure would be 40% ish.

Why would we move to a less democratic system?

Gold.

After distribution of the 7th last person's votes (and assuming nobody new has been elected), the 6th last person is eliminated. Their votes don't need to be distributed though as there are now 5 candidates for 5 seats

If elected then yes he does, you don't get to decide what Ireland's interests are.

Cheers folks, so if Cynthia Ni Muruchu doesnt get more than Mattress Mick shes eliminated regardless.