Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is exciting and reforming legislation that will bring about the most significant development in Irish electoral law since 1997. The Bill has the potential to transform our electoral registration process. It will modernise our register of electors and, more importantly, will empower more people to become more active participants in democracy. The Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, of which I am a member, spent a significant amount of time discussing and debating this Bill. During the committee's pre-legislative scrutiny, we heard from many different witnesses, from academics and political scientists to political strategists and social media companies, as well as those who hold social media platforms to account, and interest groups that encourage better diversity in politics. I thank all those witnesses for their very informed and expert contributions. I also commend the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and their officials on all the work and consideration that has gone into this Bill.

The one thing all the witnesses and all the Oireachtas committee members have in common is that we value living in a free, fair democracy and we want to keep it that way. Before I was a Deputy, I spent my annual leave travelling around with my backpack on my shoulder. I found myself in Fiji during a military coup, in Palestine during heightened conflict and in Kosovo when it was building up a brand new democracy.

I saw real-life experiences of other countries fighting for a free and fair political system and for just governance. It ingrained in me considerable respect for our own democracy and a real sense of responsibility to help protect it and never to take it for granted. That is why it is so important that we protect our democracy from outside interference, be that foreign money or foreign technologies, such as bots, which can create undue influence.

An issue which I have concerns about is that this Bill regulates online political advertising only in the run-up to the election. It only applies to that three-week period of the election cycle, which is a small window. I do not believe that provision goes far enough. I believe we need to regulate online political advertising year round. Politics has changed in recent decades. Social media platforms have replaced makeshift platforms on the back of trucks that used to be outside church gates. The media and social media now play significant roles in political campaigns. Gone are the days when campaigning would stop when you became elected. All of us in this Chamber know all too well that we have transitioned to a continuous campaign cycle. Social media is a constant tool in political offices. That is why it is so important that we regulate online political advertising year round. We need to do that because not to do it represents too big a threat to our democracy. I do not believe there is any place in a free or fair democracy for online bots, for politically motivated anonymous online accounts, for data brokers to be used by political parties or for illegal data harvesting by politicians. These issues need to be addressed.

It was very disappointing that when we invited the general secretaries of political parties to discuss issues that were relevant to this legislation before our committee, not all parties co-operated. Political parties receive State funding and should, at the very least, engage in these political matters in an entirely appropriate way. I previously put my feelings about that on the record and I want to do so again.

In terms of voter education, which this legislation commits to, there is a good opportunity for an education or information campaign about the single transferable vote system. Many people still struggle with our system and this is a good opportunity for us and our commission to carry out an information campaign not just in schools but also in the media on what exactly the single transferable vote system is. It is a complex system but it is something we should all be aware of because, after all, we only have one vote. That vote is one of the most important powers that each of us has as a citizen of Ireland. It is important that everybody knows exactly how they are casting their vote and how the system works. I welcome the educational aspect of the legislation.

I also support the provisions to modernise the register of electors and to simplify the registration process. The proposal is to simplify the forms and create an online option for registration. I know that is something on which South Dublin County Council has been leading the way. Creating a rolling, continuously updated electoral register and a single national electoral register database would completely streamline the process. A move to a system of identification verification using personal public service numbers would provide transparency and security. Reform of the system of electoral registration has been on the agenda of Governments, political parties and other stakeholders for more than a decade. It has been advocated for by many experts. It is important that this legislation takes the steps to achieve that reform. Future-proofing is important and it is great to see that has been baked into the legislation.

This Bill has great potential to transform our electoral system. It is vital that we are legislating in a way that is forward looking and that we create legislation that can flex and adapt as we, as a society, continue to modernise.

On a final and somewhat nerdy note, and as someone who has spent many a long, cold day in a count centre, the excitement of a tally is something that is unique to us in Ireland. Tallymen not only bring their experience in terms of transparency but can actually catalyse a recount. The information that our tally people are providing can become the reason for a recount and the reason why errors are rectified. We want to make sure we minimise errors. There is no provision in law for tallying. From the perspective of transparency, I urge the Minister to ask the electoral commission to provide a set of rules around tallying to allow a certain amount of tally people into each count so we can harvest that data and ensure the open and transparent democracy we have spoken about. If the commission did that, the Minister would have the power to bring in a statutory instrument to give us the regulation that we, our parties and our volunteers need.

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