Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

3 o’clock

I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak on the issue of electoral amendment. However, I am surprised that the three changes proposed are so minimal in the context of what needs to be done to make the electoral system more representative and democratic. The Bill deals with three matters in respect of the upcoming Dáil and Seanad general elections. A minor change is proposed in respect of the nominating body for the Seanad. A minor change is also proposed on free postage for candidates for university constituencies in the Seanad elections. Reform of the supplementary register for the Dáil is the third proposal. The main issue with the Bill is what is not in it but could be given the significant issues discussed in the environment committee on an electoral commission. Over the course of many meetings, a number of issues were brought up at the committee which require serious reform if we are to have the maximum number of people voting.

I voted to abolish the Seanad but the Government failed in its mission to have it abolished. It is not democratic and the massive cost to the State to represent the 16% of the population who have a university degree is outrageous. Graduates of DIT and other third level institutions are not even represented. There is a hierarchy and a discrimination there. It is farcical that there will be a by-election for the Seanad in a few weeks in which only Oireachtas Members will have a vote. Every office will unnecessarily receive registered envelopes for that at a cost of €2,000 to €3,000. We could easily have a different voting system for those who want to vote. Notwithstanding all of the issues that came up during the Seanad referendum campaign, there has been no broadening of the electorate. There are a couple of minor tweaks in relation to free postage and nominating bodies. It will annoy immensely those people who gave their position on it and wanted the Seanad reformed.

Regarding the supplementary register and Dáil elections, only two categories of persons can go on the supplementary register. They are those who have turned 18 since 15 February and new residents in an area. New citizens are not allowed to update their citizenship status as matters stand. I represent a constituency in which one in four people was born outside Ireland. It is at least twice the national average. Nationally, in any event, at least 500,000 people in the State were not born in Ireland. Many of them are excluded from having a vote. In the case of Dublin West and other parts of the country which had an influx of migration during the economic boom, there is a host of people living and working here, some for 15 years, who have no say in who is in their national Parliament. They are completely disenfranchised unless they become Irish citizens, which costs €1,000. Even if they do, they have only climbed one hurdle. I am amazed to discover on a daily basis that many of the people in my area who have become Irish citizens have not had their vote upgraded to vote in Dáil elections.

The Department of Justice and Equality is organising fantastic naturalisation ceremonies, some of which I have attended with people I know, but it does not have someone present to register people for Dáil elections. People walk away from the ceremony thinking they are Irish citizens with the right to vote, but they do not have the right unless they go and upgrade their vote themselves. Most of them are oblivious of having to do that. I cannot understand how so much is being put in by the State to speed up the naturalisation process, which I welcome, yet it does not inform people about this there and then and have someone present. I was at a citizenship ceremony recently at which the Garda band was playing music. All that was needed was a garda there to register people. I do not understand how that is not happening.

This issue is hitting large swathes of people in Dublin West, the constituency with which I am most familiar. In one area of the constituency, 51% of people there are not Irish. When one walks around that area with the electoral register, one finds that hardly anyone is on it notwithstanding the fact that many of those people are Irish citizens. I deplore the fact that local authorities are making no effort to mass register people in the way that is required. We need a proactive campaign to register all kinds of people, not just new citizens. Councils should be engaging with immigrant and community groups to promote registration and make it easier. I am beginning to ask if the Government is happy that people are not registering to vote in the numbers that are needed. We know that is the case in urban areas and working class communities.

There should be a push by the Department of Justice and Equality when it is naturalising people to inform them of the registration issue at the ceremony itself. We need an electoral commission that will consistently apply the law. It could have a remit on central information to be used to update citizenship status. Everyone who has lived and worked in the country for more than four years should be entitled to have a vote on what goes on in the country. One should not have to be a citizen to vote. It is not a requirement in other countries that one must change one's citizenship in order to get a vote. If one is paying tax and living here and wants to vote, one should have a right to vote. In many cases, people are married. We had an ironic situation in the marriage equality referendum. I know EU citizens who do not have a right to vote in Dáil general elections but who have lived and worked here for years and are in relationships and have families. They were campaigning for a "Yes" vote but they did not have the vote themselves. We should change and look at that in the electoral commission. I hope that will be considered seriously.

My office is currently writing to hundreds of constituents to update their registration details, but I see nothing being done by the local authorities in areas with new, broad, heterogenous, multi-ethnic populations to have a register that is reflective of the local population. I wonder why. Obviously, resources are an issue. Our local authority is being resourced to do that. There are communities in which mass registration could be done. Many of us attended the briefings by the USI recently. It pointed out that in the marriage equality referendum, it mass registered tens of thousands of students to vote for the first time. That was a very positive development. If the USI can be facilitated to do that, what efforts is the Minister of State and her Department making to ensure this happens in other areas not just among students, but among working class communities, migrant communities and so on? It is shameful that we have taken in people and society has changed, but we do not seem to be concerned that they have a right to vote.

I am extremely disappointed that three technical measures are being proposed in the Dáil and taking up hours of time when much more serious reforms could have been introduced on the electoral register and voting which would have encouraged people to vote. Many people are going to be very disappointed to find that they are disenfranchised when they roll up to vote, hopefully against the Government, in February.

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