Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his time and his statement on proposals for an electoral commission. I welcome that this issue is gaining traction in the Oireachtas and I would like to express my strong support for the establishment of an independent, empowered electoral commission with broad responsibility and remit across our different elections.

We are lucky to live in a country where public trust in the electoral system and elections is relatively high, but the turnout in different elections and referenda varies wildly and is on an overall downward trend. I would welcome the creation of an electoral commission that was specifically empowered not only to regulate, oversee and manage elections but also to play an active role in electoral outreach, fostering political engagement and spurring democratic innovation.

There is much research and work to draw from in this area in the Irish context such as the Report of the Committee on the Consultation on the Proposed Electoral Commission 2016, the August report from the working group in the Department of the Taoiseach, and Deputy Lawless’s 2016 legislation, all of which I hope will inform our discussions on the commission’s role.

When looking at the roles, responsibilities and functions of such a body, it should be ambitious. Ireland is a small country where administrative hurdles to electoral reform are low and we could easily pilot major reforms, with Ireland becoming a world leader in democratic innovation, a reputation that has started with the successful Citizens’ Assembly initiative.

I would like to see an electoral commission with strong regulatory and oversight powers, that administered the register of political parties, and that dictated rules on spending in all elections and referenda.The functions of the Referendum Commission in respect of elections should be transferred to this new body, as should the responsibilities of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in respect of elections, in order that strong, fair and comprehensive rules on media balance can be assembled and issued. Posters and the regulation of poster content should also be placed within the commission's remit.

The regulation of online advertising, the tackling of proliferated disinformation and financial transparency must be crucial functions of the commission. Election tampering has moved on from the days of stuffing ballot boxes or rigging counts. One only needs to surreptitiously target undecided voters with false information via social media to swing entire elections. The integrity of elections are under threat across western democracies, especially in the light of extraordinarily advanced techniques used in the US presidential election. The commission needs to safeguard citizens and their democratic choices against these threats.

The current ad hoclocal authority electoral register system is a mess. It should be consolidated and managed within the new electoral commission and major reforms implemented to simplify and modernise the registration process. It should be possible to register online without cumbersome administrative barriers such as the requirement for a garda signature to make a simple change to address. The many forms for different categories should be consolidated in one simple online form. I am sure the Minister of State, who is responsible for e-Government, can see the obvious value in my suggestion as it is obvious, doable and possible once the required security safeguards are developed and in place.

The electoral commission should be responsible for running national information campaigns around the electoral process and registration deadlines. It should also collect national data on registration and run targeted campaigns aimed at communities with low democratic participation. I would also love to see a commission that helped tackle the lack of awareness of the roles of the different elected officials and bodies. I would like explanations of the role of a Member of the European Parliament or a councillor's responsibilities on a local authority to become commonplace running up to election time.

In terms of the voting process, the commission would need to investigate methods by which we can make it easier to vote. Access to postal votes for those away from their place of residence on polling day should be expanded, as should options for voters overseas, whether through Irish embassies or other means. We should also introduce early voting as exists in many US states and consider options for limited voting accessibility in the days before elections to allow for greater flexibility. A commission could examine the feasibility of synchronising elections with public holidays or weekends to promote higher turnout and engagement.

Furthermore, an electoral commission is not the only electoral reform coming down the pipeline. As the Minister of State will be aware, his Government has committed to a referendum to extend voting rights in presidential elections to Irish citizens abroad. Moreover, here in the Seanad, the implementation group for the Manning report will shortly publish its report and draft legislation that will allow for a significant expansion in the Seanad electorate. Critics of these two proposals always cite practical and administrative barriers to their implementation. If we had a developed and experienced electoral commission that relied on best international evidence, it could start the policy development process immediately, with the view to being given responsibility to administer these elections once they are held. We have an opportunity to get in front of and prepare for these big practical changes now and I urge the Minister of State to take it. The current Seanad electoral process is also in dire need of reform, especially the university seats. I hope the electoral commission will make quick and minor changes that would greatly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, such as the introduction of a supplementary register.

I would like the electoral commission to monitor and seek inspiration from international developments in electoral reform and democratic innovation. For example, the growth of the international fact-checking movement, especially in the face of the proliferation of fake news, could be easily adopted by a commission empowered to fact-check claims made in election and referendum campaigns. This would be a valuable public service offered to voters as they make their electoral decisions. If a referendum commission were empowered to issue a balanced and fair analysis of the voting options before a referendum campaign, it would only be a small extra step for it to provide such analysis during a campaign.

In more general terms, other countries have responded to issues with voter turnout and democratic engagement in new and innovative ways from which Ireland could easily draw. These include the compulsory voting system used in Australia, online democratic innovations in Europe and the use of public petitions to trigger parliamentary debates in the United Kingdom. An ongoing and continuous role in recommending legislative and constitutional change in a similar vein to the reports produced by the Standards in Public Office Commission would be a valuable and important function.

I have outlined electoral reforms that are in place in other countries. None of them is impossible and all of them could easily be incorporated into an electoral commission's functions. I wish the Minister of State well in his efforts to establish the commission and hope he will be as ambitious as possible when deciding its roles, functions and powers.