Professor Colin Harvey:

In our paper we are very clear that we regard the presidency as a fundamentally important office. It is symbolically and practically important and we will not say anything to the contrary. In a sense, we are involved in thinking and arguing about voting rights because of the importance of the presidency.

The Senator has asked a question about the things that have been identified as issues. When it moves to operationalising and making it real in practice, issues emerge in trying to ensure it happens at the level of practicality and organisation. This is widely and successfully done in many states around the world with regard to both registration and making it happen. We have seen it happen recently on this island in the case of the election in France. It has, therefore, been happening and can happen. Many of the questions being raised arise in any electoral process, including ensuring we verify what is happening in order that everything is done appropriately and properly. It is an area of practicality that will need to be looked at, but there are ways of dealing with it. In the context of the presidential election, it will be a democratic experiment for Ireland. One thing that can be done is keeping it under review to see what lessons have been learned and refine it over time. We should not rule out a process of democratic inclusion because it may cause difficulties. Otherwise, we might not have elections. There are always issues, but there are processes in place to try to ensure the integrity of the process. There are ways that are better than others for ensuring that happens. It should not present us with an obstacle in taking forward a fundamental issue of principle on which the constitutional convention is very clear.