Seanad General Election 2025 - University Panels

I hear Mullen gathered very few votes on the TCD panel this time 😁

Looks like the 3 incumbents on the NUI panel will get elected (Michael McDowell already elected). On the Trinity panel, the 2 incumbents will likely get elected with a scrap for the final seat then. Greens have a very close split between Chu & Smyth, so if there is a good transfer between them (and they don't end up being the last 2 eliminated) they might have a chance. Bonkers decision for both to run, a consolidated candidate would have had them comfortably in 3rd place assuming most who voted for 1 would have voted for the other.

Did you mean Sadbh O'Neill? Harmon isn't on the TCD ballot.

Yes. Right party wrong person.

NUI count complete with same 3.

Have seen a tally for the Cultural panel. Pauline Tully may be in on the first count. Joe Conway from Waterford has done fairly well but there'll be a lot of eliminations of IND/FF/FG candidates to go to decide anyone else.

Amusing to see that 14 of the elected representatives who sent their Seanad Ballots back had them rejected because they were't capable of completing them in accordance with the regulations! I hope that they're able to complete their travel and subsistence claim forms correctly!

"The Clerk of the Seanad, Mr. Martin Groves, has overseen the completion of preliminary procedures:

• 1,164 covering envelopes were returned
• 7 covering envelopes had not affixed to them the label provided for by Rule 8 of the First Schedule, and in accordance with Rule 14(b)(ii) were rejected
• 1 covering envelope had not affixed to it the label provided for by Rule 8 of the First Schedule bearing a certificate duly completed by an authorised person, and so was rejected
• 6 declarations of identity were not duly completed, and and in accordance with Rule 14(b)(ii) were rejected"

31 votes is too big a gap unless an actual bundle error occurred.

I've seen more Green Party reps ask for recounts of big gaps than any other party over the years, locally and of course Eamon Ryan's massive waste of cash when he lost out in 2014 - on a gap of 1200 votes!

The claim going around at the most recent local count when they were chasing a gap that would never be found was it was a command from HQ to request recounts. Would make sense if it's a party line based on how often I've seen it; even in situations almost as ludicrous as Bart Simspons's class president recount request.

Herr Plug does provide quite the amusement

Various different things can be done. Recounting the ballots in a specific count, re-checking all the ballots in a specific count to make sure they're right, checking all the bundles to make sure that 50/500/insert bundle size here for Candidate A didn't end up in Candidate B's bins; or going riiight back to the start and starting again.

The latter one can end up with a different result by virtue of what papers get selected for surpluses* and can be worth just rolling the dice on if its very close.

RO can refuse a recount. Not sure if anyone has ever gone to court over that though.

*except in Seanad vocational panels, where transfers are proportional

I would take that to mean counting the papers in each bundle; not checking them to make sure every transfer is correct.

Should take about two hours with that number of papers I'd guess, though I don't know how many counters they have.

RTE journo has clarified that they're just recounting the Chu and McCarthy piles which makes sense, considering the others aren't relevant. Probably an hour or so then.

If the numbers change by any significant amount, expect a request for a full recount…

Good news for the Greens is that Malcolm Noonan has won a seat on the Seanad Agricultural Panel having exceeded the quota on the fisrt count.

Anyone can put themselves forward even if you don't like them. In fact many people will find that they don't like the majority of candidates in any election 🤔

Never heard of that Aubrey chap before, am I out of touch? No, it's the kids who are wrong.

Presidential run next so she can use the term "presidential candidate" going forward. RTE and the rest of MSM are a disgrace for giving this failed politician such a large platform.