Low turn out - does this prove that people really couldn't care?

NIMAN

As the title says, is it a sign that a lot of people either:

1) Are fed up with these candidates
2) Think the role has no purpose and don't care who gets in

drunkmonkey

If it's under 50% turn out they should re-run it as it proves over 50% of people didn't like any candidate!!

Well unless Micheal D or Marty the Dragon Slayer Mc Guinness come first and second in either order than it's a good result.

Liam Byrne

NIMAN wrote: »

As the title says, is it a sign that a lot of people either:

1) Are fed up with these candidates
2) Think the role has no purpose and don't care who gets in

It's an odd one alright - given the issues around MMcG, SG and DN, I would have thought that the "not letting HIM in" aspect alone would have brought more people out.

gbee

Only half the people in my house voted.

Just yesterday, my question as to having made up your mind's on whom to vote for brought wide eyed looks and 'what vote?'

'The presidential election'

Turns back to TV without answering [while I was in the room anyway].

hotmail.com

NIMAN wrote: »

As the title says, is it a sign that a lot of people either:

1) Are fed up with these candidates
2) Think the role has no purpose and don't care who gets in

People forget that the 1997 turnout was shockingly bad at just 47%. That was down from a massive 64% in 1990.

So if anything, we've known since 1997 that no one gives a toss about the presidency. But there doesn't seem to be any great political urgency to abolish the office.

I think this campaign, the quality of the candidates and the low turnout should act as the springboard to getting the office abolished.

Mary McAleese wasn't seen for 13 years, greets Queen Elizabeth and some people say she was great. Nonsense.

unitedrover

hotmail.com wrote: »

Mary McAleese wasn't seen for 13 years, greets Queen Elizabeth and some people say she was great. Nonsense.

Ah now didnt we see Mary during all those cabinet reshuffles?

Raging_Ninja

hotmail.com wrote: »

Mary McAleese wasn't seen for 13 years, greets Queen Elizabeth and some people say she was great. Nonsense.

It can be argues that it was because she made critical statements of the nature of the media based on her experiences as a journalist. Some (many?) believe she was shunned by the media because of it.

Also, there was the quiet behind-the-scenes work she and her husband carried out to further the peace process.

Not all areas had a low turnout, my polling district had 60%, which is respectable by most yardsticks.

Libra1

NIMAN wrote: »

As the title says, is it a sign that a lot of people either:

1) Are fed up with these candidates
2) Think the role has no purpose and don't care who gets in

We bad 53%

gbee

hotmail.com wrote: »

Mary McAleese wasn't seen for 13 years, greets Queen Elizabeth and some people say she was great. Nonsense.

More like no one noticed her ~ you know she could not vote in her election the first time as she was a citizen of a foreign county.

To be fair she has since become a citizen and learnt the Irish Language and as a person who covered some of her numerous visits to Cork, her frequency lost novelty with some schools being visited six times ~ true, at some, I was the only photographer ~ she was prompt and on time and unlike other Government officials did not believe in keeping the children waiting ~

To such and extent that at one school I, the President, her aide-de-camp and her detective where alone in a school foyer as the principal blushingly apologised as she [the President] had not been expected to be on time.

jimmycrackcorm

A low turnout is as equal as spoiling votes, it's just a way of saying you're happy drinking the house wine as choosing one specifically.

Raging_Ninja

gbee wrote: »

More like no one noticed her ~ you know she could not vote in her election the first time as she was a citizen of a foreign county.

She couldn't vote in the 1997 election because she was not residing in a constituency within the Republic of Ireland. She was and is an Irish citizen.

gbee

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

She couldn't vote in the 1997 election because she was not residing in a constituency within the Republic of Ireland. She was and is an Irish citizen.

Barry McGuigan?

Raging_Ninja

gbee wrote: »

Barry McGuigan?

That just went straight over my head.

gbee

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

That just went straight over my head.

Though for different goals, both had to apply to the law courts to represent Ireland. Both were British subjects, but 'free' to claim Irish Citizenship.

We've also had a referendum, which was carried, that would not grant 'automatic' citizenship to babies born in the island of Ireland.

Hotblack Desiato

gbee wrote: »

Barry McGuigan?

Yes, he's from Clones. This had better be good...

Hotblack Desiato

gbee wrote: »

Though for different goals, both had to apply to the law courts to represent Ireland. Both were British subjects, but 'free' to claim Irish Citizenship.

MMcA was born in NI (and therefore a UK citizen by default) but also an Irish citizen by right. BMcG was born within the State but took out British citizenship to box for UK titles and in the Commonwealth games.

F- see me after class.

charlemont

Its a shame more people didn't turn out to vote and could anyone tell me when they say for example 51% turn out, Is that 51% of the electoral register or 51% of the total population eligible to vote ?

Voting should be mandatory.

kowloon

charlemont wrote: »

Voting should be mandatory.

Force the unwilling to vote and you might not like the outcome.

Hotblack Desiato

Same thing, you have to be on the electoral register to be eligible to vote, and compulsory voting would just mean even more votes cast for stupid reasons than we already have.

gbee

charlemont wrote: »

Voting should be mandatory.

Voting should be:

75% necessary for a valid vote.

None of the above option should be a valid vote.

Not reaching quota should mean not being elected.

Civil Service should be elected, City Managers and all city and county staff.

We MUST be able to impeach and UNELECT and actually FIRE people from public office with no golden handshakes and no pensions.

charlemont

kowloon wrote: »

Force the unwilling to vote and you might not like the outcome.

ninja900 wrote: »

Same thing, you have to be on the electoral register to be eligible to vote, and compulsory voting would just mean even more votes cast for stupid reasons than we already have.

With proper education in schools it could be made mandatory for the next batch of voters and so on, I think in Australia its a fine for not voting, I live in a neighbourhood in which many of the residents couldn't even vote in their home countries, If people don't maintain some interest in voting then our democracy will become in effect a joke.

But the point about stupid reasons for votes is interesting and in Ireland's case is unfortunately true but education as a whole should include more about voting.

gbee

ninja900 wrote: »

born within the State but .

Border town.

foggy_lad

Would more people vote if there was some financial incentive like €5 for voting or 1% off your income tax for being a good citizen?

Oh_Noes

System we have is grand tbh.

Forced democracy isn't democracy at all.

Ozymandius2011

It looks like it will surpass the 47% of 1997.

gbee

Ozymandius2011 wrote: »

It looks like it will surpass the 47% of 1997.

I must be living inside the boards bubble, wit the interest this election seemed to have on boards, this turn out is disappointing.

kowloon

Neither a carrot or stick approach will work because neither require the voter to make a reasoned decision. Turning up is all that matters.

If less than half the voters turn up of their own choice any system that makes the rest do so creates a problem. The candidate who best appeals to the apathetic gets the job. The system would become even more like X-Factor than it already is.

I'd prefer to see fewer vote if it was a guarantee that those turning up to do so were people who put serious thought into their choice as opposed to someone who like X or Y because they have a 'cheeky grin on them'.

Healio

sure is there even that much of the electorate still on the island?

Hotblack Desiato

gbee wrote: »

Voting should be:

75% necessary for a valid vote.

None of the above option should be a valid vote.

Not reaching quota should mean not being elected.

Civil Service should be elected, City Managers and all city and county staff.

We MUST be able to impeach and UNELECT and actually FIRE people from public office with no golden handshakes and no pensions.

All of the above is idiotic, sorry, but the thought of having 30,000 civil servants stand for election is the funniest.

Do you really think that the idiotic gombeen populism we have in the Dail should extend to every part of public life?

Hotblack Desiato

gbee wrote: »

Border town.

Yeah maybe his mother had one leg over the border at the time :rolleyes:

So, refresh my memory about when and why McAleese and McGuigan had to go to court to get the Irish passports they were both entitled to as of right?

FFS

A.Partridge

Having the poll on a Thursday excluded a lot of people from voting.

Students, people away on business mid-week etc all missed out.

Why could it not have been set for a Friday?

[Jackass]

I don't think people really care to be honest. It's a shame, as the amendments to the constitution are vitally important.

I have to say though, you'd be hard pushed to find another motley crew of candidates we had running for president. Makes a mockery of the office imo. I would have voted to close the thing down given the oppertunity.

county man

So what is the official turnout figure?

Rachiee

The fact that the election was on thursday didnt help, many people I know haven't changed where they are registered in years usually just go home (family home/ down the country etc) to vote after work college on the friday with little hassle I know loads of people who didnt vote because they werent registered near where they are living and it's too much hassle to travel to vote on a weekday.

As someone who strongly believes in voting i dont think its a great excuse think they should of took the time to re-register but about 10 per cent of the people i know who are eligible to vote didnt vote for this reason

Hotblack Desiato

A.Partridge wrote: »

Having the poll on a Thursday excluded a lot of people from voting.

Students, people away on business mid-week etc all missed out.

Why could it not have been set for a Friday?

Friday voting would probably have meant the count going on all weekend and maybe into Monday, as it is and barring disasters it should be all over (incl. referendums) by teatime Sat. If people doing the count have to give up their entire bank holiday weekend they're going to want more money!

No day will suit everyone, there will always be people on holidays, away with work etc. no matter when it is.

Anyone who is living away from where they're registered and who could be bothered, could've applied to be on the supplementary register, anyone who couldn't be bothered has no right to whinge TBH.

If it were up to me I'd hold elections on a Sunday, but mainly to avoid losing a schoolday.

I wonder how many teachers who were already being paid for that day were on a nice little earner supervising the voting?