Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate. Voter participation continues to be a major challenge for everyone involved in the democratic process and any recommendations as to how we can stimulate greater participation is very much worthy of consideration. This Private Members' Bill is part of the debate and, accordingly, the Government does not propose to oppose it. The stated purpose of the Bill is to promote greater voter participation. I agree with the view expressed in the explanatory memorandum that voter participation is a core part of our democracy but we are not necessarily convinced that fixing the polling hours only, as proposed in the Bill, will deliver the increased voter participation we all wish to see.

The electoral code already provides for a fixed period of polling on all occasions. A period of at least 12 hours between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10.30 p.m. must be provided. Apart from that, it is then at the discretion of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government of the day to decide what additional hours, if any, are required. For most elections in recent years, polling stations have been open for 15 hours between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. We must consider whether we wish to lock ourselves into that arrangement for all future elections or if we wish to continue with the existing arrangements, which embrace a degree of flexibility around a minimum 12-hour polling period.

Voter participation is a complex issue. Undoubtedly, polling hours play a part, in particular for voters who, as Deputy Doyle outlined, live in the commuter belt, as I do. I acknowledge his point. There are other variables that influence people. The issue is deeper than just one of polling hours alone. Other factors that may come into play include possible alienation from the political system and the value people place on playing their part in the democratic process. Of relevance also are the issues at stake in the particular election or referendum and people's interest in and understanding of those issues. The reality is that voter participation is very likely to be influenced by a combination of factors.

When we look at turnout figures at elections and referenda in recent years, there is no discernible positive correlation between polling hours and turnout. I will outline a couple of examples. Turnout at the Meath East by-election in March 2013 was 38.29% when polling stations were open for 13 hours. Turnout in the autumn 2013 referendums was only marginally higher, at 39.17% and 39.15%, when polling stations were open for 15 hours. Turnout at the most recent poll in the local election in the Ballybay-Clones local electoral area in County Monaghan was 58.49% when polling stations were open for 14 hours on a Saturday. Turnout at the recent European Parliament elections was lower at 52.44%, when polling stations were open for 15 hours on a Friday. When comparisons are made between the turnout at referendums in recent years, where polling stations were open for 15 hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the turnout figures vary and considerably so in some cases. For example, turnout at the second referendum on the Lisbon treaty in 2009 was 59% while turnout for the referendum on the abolition of the Seanad in October 2013 was 39.17%.

Turnout at the most recent general election was 69.9%, when polling stations were also open for 15 hours.

These examples suggest that factors other than polling hours are at play in determining the turnout. One of these must be the interest of people in the issue at stake. The highest turnout at any election or referendum since 2008 was the 69.9% turnout at the 2011 general election, which clearly captured the people's imagination. The relative importance or significance of the issue was also reflected in the turnout figures at the two Lisbon treaty referendums. The turnout at the referendum in June 2008 was 53.13%, when the people rejected the proposal, and it was 59% in October 2009 when the people accepted the proposal. Both polls were for a period of 15 hours, so factors wider than hours alone influenced voter participation.

It is interesting to note the post-campaign research on voter turnout undertaken by successive referendum commissions. According to the research undertaken following the autumn 2013 referendums, asked why they had not voted, 32% of those surveyed in the case of the abolition of the Seanad, and 30% in the case of the Court of Appeal, stated they had no interest in the issues and "weren't bothered to vote". The same research revealed that 25% of those surveyed were too busy to vote and 35% to 37% felt uninformed on the issues on which they were being asked to vote. The post-campaign research undertaken after the children's referendum revealed that 19% of those surveyed had no interest, 26% were too busy and 34% felt uninformed.

While focussed on referendum issues, the post-referendum research highlights the wider issues at play when voter participation is being considered. Successive Governments have been concerned to stimulate greater voter participation. The referendum commission has the function of promoting awareness of referendums and encouraging citizens to vote. Other measures include the display of a large print copy of ballot papers at polling stations to assist the visually impaired; provisions for photographs and party emblems on ballot papers; companion voting for persons with literacy difficulties; and support for election candidates posting election literature to voters.

The register of electors also has a role to play. Clearly, one cannot vote if one is not on the register. Over the years, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and registration authorities have taken initiatives to encourage more people to register. Initiatives have been to make it easier for people to exercise their right to be on the register when election times come around. Information leaflets on the registration process are available in 17 different languages on the Department's website. Multilingual prompt cards are available to assist local authority staff and the various nationalities living in Ireland who wish to register to vote. When an election or referendum takes place, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government places advertisements in the national newspapers. These advise anyone who is not on the register to apply for inclusion in the supplement to the register so that they can vote at the impending election or referendum.

The current flexibility to decide what additional hours, if any, should be allowed for polling at elections and referendums has other benefits. Polling stations were open for a period of 13 hours at the children's referendum in 2012. The poll was taken on a Saturday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. It was felt that the later start of 9 a.m. was appropriate to a Saturday when most people were not at work. This approach generated savings of approximately €640,000 on staff costs compared to the previous referendum, where the poll was taken between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. In the Meath East by-election in March 2013, the poll was taken between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. and savings of an estimated €14,000 on staff costs were generated. The scope to generate savings where the circumstances are appropriate to do so provides a further argument for retaining the current flexibility to fix polling hours on each occasion.

We need to continually examine and remove any unnecessary impediments to greater voter participation and to explore new ways of encouraging people to exercise their mandate. The explanatory memorandum to Deputy Doyle's Bill suggests that the desire for political reform has never been more in demand. I concur with this view. Over the past three years, the Government has spearheaded much-needed electoral reform. This has included a complete overhaul of the political funding and donations regime, provision for a reduction in the number of Deputies to be elected to the next Dáil, revised rules for calling by-elections and reviews of electoral boundaries at all levels. More recently, legislation to repeal the prohibition on people who are bankrupt from standing for election was enacted. In total, seven separate pieces of electoral legislation have been enacted since the Government took office in 2011 and further reforms are planned.

The establishment of an electoral commission is a further significant reform to which the Government is committed. The Constitutional Convention recommended that an electoral commission should be established and this has been accepted by the Government. The chairman of the referendum commissions for the autumn 2013 referendums also suggested that an electoral commission could be tasked with examining the area of low voter turnout. Establishing an electoral commission will involve detailed and considerable work. The necessary policy analysis and preparatory work for the presentation of options is planned for advancement later this year. I look forward to the debate on the Bill which, as I stated, the Government is not opposing.

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