Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

Independent Ireland believes we must give all people on the island of Ireland the right to vote in presidential elections. It makes no sense that people who live on the island of Ireland - North and South - cannot vote for the President of Ireland. It would ensure that all Irish citizens, regardless of their residence, have a say in electing the Head of State, fostering a sense of inclusion and representation. Voting rights could reinforce the connection between Northern Ireland and the Republic while promoting a unified Irish identity. It would encourage greater political participation and engagement among Irish citizens in Northern Ireland, potentially leading to a more politically active and informed populace.

People who live in Northern Ireland can run for President but they cannot vote in the presidential election. Granting voting rights would address the current disparity whereby Irish citizens in Northern Ireland can run for the Presidency but cannot vote and would align with the principles of equality and fairness. All Irish citizens on the island of Ireland should have the opportunity to vote for the President of Ireland. This would be in line with the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. This is something that Independent Ireland will be very strong on going forward.

Getting people out to vote is a big issue here too. Turnout in recent referendums and Dáil and local elections was low. The first and foremost issue for the Electoral Commission, established in 2023, is to look at the registers. The registers are no longer updated. They are in absolute tatters and disarray. I was an local electoral enumerator myself. There were not five people out in the electoral register in my area when I was working on that. Now, the Government has got rid of every one of those enumerators and the register is in bits. I am hearing it is approximately a 60% turnout but I reckon it is really a 75% turnout because there are people dead for ten to 15 years who have not been taken off the register. We need to have people like the local postman who have knowledge of what is going on out there. Those people could get a payment on the side and come back with a completely corrected register. It is scandalous to see some of them. I got the register. I got to see who voted and who did not. Obviously, we do not know what way they voted, but we are entitled to look at it. The names of people who have been dead for years have not been taken off the register. I saw the names of people who went away 20 years ago still on it. Something is wrong somewhere. This will be a big issue going forward and we need to clean it up.

A person has to be over 35 to run for the Presidency. That should be brought down to 21. It is the same in the general election. During the general election campaign, there was a young lady who was 19 years of age and was eager to run in Cork South-Central. I could not let her run because she was not 21 years of age. She was over 18. I do not agree with 16-year-olds voting but if people are allowed to vote at 18 years of age, they should be able to run for office at 18 years of age. The requirement to be 35 or older is a bit much. We need to examine that going forward. These are areas where we can try to encourage people to come back into the system and get out and vote like they should.

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