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If no-one voted???

  • 26-09-2018 1:35pm
    #1
    Krispie
    Registered Users Posts: 160 ✭✭


    Hypothetical question obviously:

    If absolutely no-one voted in the upcoming election or even a general election, who wins???


Comments

  • #2
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,223 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    We’d still get the government we deserve.


  • #3
    troyzer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,199 ✭✭✭troyzer


    There probably isn't a constitional provision for it.

    Although presumably no candidate would reach the quota so they'd probably have to re-run it over and over again?


  • #4
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    There wouldn't be any valid poll and it'd need to be re-run basically

    The chances of candidates not voting for themselves are extremely low!


  • #5
    Inquitus
    Registered Users Posts: 13,729 ✭✭✭✭Inquitus


    L1011 wrote: »
    There wouldn't be any valid poll and it'd need to be re-run basically

    The chances of candidates not voting for themselves are extremely low!

    Would a vote of just candidates friends and family say 20 people constitute a valid election?


  • #6
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Inquitus wrote: »
    Would a vote of just candidates friends and family say 20 people constitute a valid election?

    If it happened, yes.

    There doesn't even need to be two candidates.


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  • #7
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,962 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    Inquitus wrote: »
    Would a vote of just candidates friends and family say 20 people constitute a valid election?
    L1011 wrote: »
    If it happened, yes.

    There doesn't even need to be two candidates.

    Is there not a minimum percentage of the eligible voters for a vote to count?


  • #8
    blanch152
    Registered Users Posts: 27,157 ✭✭✭✭blanch152


    As I understand it, if there is an election in a five-seat constituency, and only five people are nominated, they are all automatically elected.

    I think this did happen once in the last century where there was a constituency that had no vote.

    If you had a five-seat constituency with seven candidates and only one person voted, the quota would be one, and the person voted for would be elected. They would have to have a second election to fill the remaining seats.


  • #9
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    Is there not a minimum percentage of the eligible voters for a vote to count?

    There's a quorum in the Oireachtas and for council meetings but not for anything else.


    Total number of nominees equalling, or being less than, the number of seats has happened a lot more than once but is unlikely to ever happen again - with the possible exception of Presidential elections where we had it in 2004 and could have it again.


  • #10
    Sleeper12
    Registered Users Posts: 16,871 ✭✭✭✭Sleeper12


    Well candidates will vote for themselves & their families would vote. I guess the candidate with the biggest family will win


  • #11
    Sleeper12
    Registered Users Posts: 16,871 ✭✭✭✭Sleeper12


    Inquitus wrote:
    Would a vote of just candidates friends and family say 20 people constitute a valid election?

    Yes and the quota is based on the amount of voters on the day so quotation could be 5 or 10 or 20 etc


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  • #12
    For Forks Sake
    Registered Users Posts: 11,469 ✭✭✭✭For Forks Sake


    Sleeper12 wrote: »
    Well candidates will vote for themselves & their families would vote. I guess the candidate with the biggest family will win

    Somewhere in Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae has just had an idea...


  • #13
    Jim2007
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 9,981 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    Is there not a minimum percentage of the eligible voters for a vote to count?

    Read the constitution for heavens sake.


  • #14
    Jim2007
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 9,981 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    troyzer wrote: »
    There probably isn't a constitional provision for it.

    The current government remains in place as a caretaker. But would have to run the country on the basis of current laws and procedures.


  • #15
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,468 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    blanch152 wrote: »
    They would have to have a second election to fill the remaining seats.

    Rather than waste all that time and effort can that single voters preferences not simply be used?


  • #16
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,234 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Krispie wrote: »
    Hypothetical question obviously:

    If absolutely no-one voted in the upcoming election or even a general election, who wins???

    As mentioned, this would depend on number of candidates. If there are more candidates than seats, I suspect it would be down to the toss of a coin or similar, as all have equal votes (none). If the number of candidates is less that or equal to the number of seats, they would be deemed elected.
    Jim2007 wrote: »
    The current government remains in place as a caretaker. But would have to run the country on the basis of current laws and procedures.
    No, what we have is a minority government. The caretaker government was replaced by an actual government when Varadkar was re-elected Taoiseach and he nominated ministers.


  • #17
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,021 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Victor wrote: »
    As mentioned, this would depend on number of candidates. If there are more candidates than seats, I suspect it would be down to the toss of a coin or similar, as all have equal votes (none). If the number of candidates is less that or equal to the number of seats, they would be deemed elected.
    Nitpick: If the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of seats, they will all be deemed elected without a poll, so we'll never know how many people, if any, would have voted in the poll. I think the scenario envisaged in the OP can only arise where the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats.


  • #18
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Victor wrote: »
    No, what we have is a minority government. The caretaker government was replaced by an actual government when Varadkar was re-elected Taoiseach and he nominated ministers.

    Kenny, not Varadkar. Unless I missed an entire GE, which would be nice as my knee isn't really up to canvassing currently!


  • #19
    blackwhite
    Registered Users Posts: 8,452 ✭✭✭blackwhite


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    Rather than waste all that time and effort can that single voters preferences not simply be used?

    No.

    The provisions only allow for their excess above the Quota to be distributed.

    If the Quota is one, and there's only one vote, then there's no excess to distribute.


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