Your Guide to Deciding Who to Vote for in the General Election
By Deputy News Editor Paula Dennan
There is less than a week left until we go to the polls on Friday, November 29th, to elect TDs who will make up the 34th Dáil. There will be 174 TDs across 43 constituencies. This is an increase in TDs and constituencies since the 2020 General Election. The constituency boundaries were redrawn in 2023 following the publication of An Coimisiún Toghcháin’s, The Election Commission’s, Constituency and Electoral Boundary Reviews. Article 16 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution, mandates that there be one TD per 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Whether it is your first time voting, you have moved to a new constituency, or you are still determining what your local candidates and each political party stand for, here are some tips for deciding who to vote for on election day.
Learn who your General Election candidates are
Most candidates have been out campaigning and knocking on doors over the last few weeks, so we have a good indication of who will be on the ballot. If you know which constituency you will be voting in, RTÉ News has profiled each constituency, including the candidates currently confirmed as running. For people unsure of their constituency, An Coimisiún Toghcháin has a tool for using your address or Eircode to find your constituency.
An Coimisiún Toghcháin’s tool also includesa list of the websites for each constituency’s returning officers, where the list of candidates for your constituency is now available following the close of nominations for prospective candidates on Saturday, November 16th. Breakingnews.ie has published the complete list of candidates running across the country, which is searchable by constituency.
Decide what issues are important to you
Now is the time to ask candidates about the issues that are important to you and will affect your decision whether to vote for them or not. If the canvassers who call to your door cannot answer your questions, they should offer to pass your details on to the candidate so they can follow up with you about your concerns.
While election campaigns are a busy time for candidates and their teams, as a voter, you are entitled to contact them about their policies and plans for if they are elected or re-elected. Their contact details are usually on their election leaflet. If you haven’t received one yet, social media or their political party website is a good way to find their email address, phone number or online form if that is their preferred method for hearing from voters.
National issues such as housing, health, education, public transport, and the cost of living crisis will feature in political parties' election manifestos or policy documents. At the time of writing, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, and the Social Democrats. Other parties, including Aontú, the Centre Party of Ireland (formerly Renua), Independent Ireland and Rabharta have published policies on various issues. RTÉ is hosting two televised debates between party leaders. Upfront with Katie Hannon on Monday, November 18th, featured ten political party leaders and can be watched back on the RTÉ Player. On Tuesday, November 26th, Prime Time will feature a debate between the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, the three largest parties.
Where the issue is specific to your area or the candidate is not aligned with a political party, keep an eye on your local media. Local and regional newspapers will likely interview candidates between now and election day and naturally focus on local concerns. Your local radio station will either host debates with candidates or interview them, often focusing on local solutions to those national issues.
VoteSmart, by the Irish Independent, and iSideWith are election tests which tell you which parties and candidates align with your views. While these quizzes can be helpful, every political party or independent candidate may not have submitted answers, leaving you with partial results.
Remember that you can number the candidates on your ballot paper in order of preference, so if multiple people support the issues that matter to you in ways you want them to, you can rank them rather than having to choose just one candidate.
Check whether political parties and candidates have signed or answered charity, NGO and union pledges
Charities, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and trade unions will publish their election manifestos, issue pledges, or ask parties and candidates questions about key issues in the run-up to the voting day. These can be a handy way of confirming or double-checking whether parties and candidates align with your beliefs.
Charity, NGO, and trade union manifestos and pledges have already been launched, including Focus Ireland’s request that the next government prioritise ending homelessness by 2030. the Irish Cancer Society’s three asks for the next government, The Wheel’s ten-point plan for a better future for all, the National Women’s Council feminist manifesto, the LGBTQIA+ sector manifesto, and Fórsa’s manifesto.
The USI-AMLÉ asked Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Labour, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats a range of questions about third-level education, student accommodation, improving access to Transgender healthcare, and enacting the Occupied Territories Bill. USI-AMLÉ shared the answers in an infographic on social media, noting that the outgoing government parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party did not respond to their questions, so there are gaps in the information gathered.
UCC’s Feminist Society is running a Vote Feminist! series on social media highlighting political party stances on issues including abortion access and transgender healthcare.
These questionnaires and pledges can be a handy way of confirming or double-checking whether parties and candidates align with your beliefs. However, as noted, not all political parties or candidates may respond, making where they stand unclear.
Be aware of potential misinformation and disinformation
Political parties and independent candidates produce election leaflets, and other literature. When you receive these, it should be immediately apparent who the leaflet is from. However, misinformation and disinformation during elections are rising globally, including in Ireland.
Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is shared regardless of whether there is a deliberate attempt to mislead people. Sometimes, people get the facts about something wrong and share inaccurate information without realising that is what they have done. Disinformation refers to false or inaccurate information explicitly created to mislead people. The person who created and shared the information knows that what they share is false. In both cases, the information can be reshared and spread by others who may not realise what they share is false or inaccurate.
If you are concerned or unsure about any election leaflets or pamphlets delivered to your house or something you have seen on social media, search for the information on reputable local, national, or international news sites. If the claim is true, the information will be verifiable from a source other than the leaflet or social media post.
The Irish Examiner, Irish Independent, The Irish Times, and RTÉ News have dedicated general election coverage on their websites. The Journal has a FactCheck section on its website, which has already examined some of the claims made about housing during the housing debate on RTÉ’s Upfront with Katie Hannon programme.
The Journal’s FactCheck unit also put together a toolkit of tips about how to spot misinformation on election leaflets, how to spot fake news, and how to spot AI-generated images.
Make a plan to vote on Friday, November 29th
Polling stations open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. on Friday, November 29th. You may have lectures, work, or other commitments on the day, so plan ahead of time when you will go to your polling station. Some people find it easier to go vote at the same time as family or friends. Making a plan ensures that you won’t miss out on voting.
Whatever decisions you make after determining which political parties and independent candidates align with your beliefs and election issues, make sure you cast your vote. Your vote matters. Use it.
