Voting: What to do, what not to do..
The sole reason for anyone to join the main political parties in Ireland is money. To accumulate as much wealth as possible before swanning off into the sunset, regardless of the consequences of their actions. For the most part, they have been very successful in this endeavour, in part due to the protection granted to them by the mainstream media.
I constantly hear ‘there’s no point in voting because the same people or parties keep getting in’. Well, yes, because people keep voting for them. Giving any member of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael your 10th preference vote, is still a vote. There seems to be a lot of confusion around this, most likely purposely, that you A. must fill out the full ballot sheet and B. a 10th preference vote is somehow seen as a protest vote against the candidate. No, it isn’t.
Another one I hear is “We won’t vote them out”. Yes, we will if we take away their transfer option. Next year, more so than ever before, politicians will be depending on transfers to save their political skin. If we stop doing A and B then we can make a change.
When Sinn Féin get in to power their supporters will be in for some shock when they realise their party is no different than Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. But this is what needs to happen. When Sinn Féin prove to be nothing more than EU puppets, their support will plummet, and their voter base will seek out other parties.
Now I know there are a lot of Sinn Féin voters who still genuinely believe their party works with their interests at heart. Just like Labour before them, they were supposed to be for the working class, and when Sinn Fein prove to be the same, well what’s Labour’s approval rating right now? 5%? It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Sinn Féin’s imminent betrayal of their voter base will lead to other parties getting their voices heard.
On the official ballot sheet, the Instructions say to fill in One for you first preference, Two for your second AND SO ON. It may not say you have to fill out the full sheet, but it kind of alludes to it. Again, I believe this to be purposely vague.
You can vote for one and one only if you wish. Preferably more than one as if your first preference is knocked out, then your vote can go to another.
When you vote with more than one preference, you are instructing the person responsible for the counting of votes that if your preferred candidate is eliminated, or elected with a surplus of votes, you want your vote to be transferred to your second-choice candidate.
So, who do you vote for? Well, that’s your choice, your decision. But personally, I give my vote to no one that appears on RTÉ. Because if RTÉ won’t give them a platform, they’re afraid of them.
On the day. bring your own pen, not red or green, black preferably, and quick dry, like a biro. Not one of those pens that take minutes to fully dry, you don’t want smudges on the page.
Again – yes you can spell out your choices, ONE instead of 1, which I would recommend you do. This is now in the casting your Vote section on the Citizen’s information website.
So what constitutes a spoiled vote?
- The ballot paper was left blank
- The voter ticked or otherwise marked their preferred candidate or candidates, rather than numbering them
- The writing on the ballot paper could not be understood
- The ballot paper did not have the number “1” or the word “one” next to any candidate
- The ballot paper was not stamped by the Returning Officer
- The voter wrote their name or identified themselves in some way
- The order of preference was not clear (for example, the voter wrote “3” next to 2 different candidates)
- The voter deliberately spoiled their paper as a protest
Points 4 and 5 are worth noting. If you want to vote for one candidate only, you should write the number ONE (again preferably spell your choices) in the box next to the candidate’s name. Do not tick or mark the box with an X. And I’ve said, preferably you can vote for more than one. When the returning officer hands you the sheet, make certain he or she stamps it.
A spoiled vote, whether intentional or not, makes no impact whatsoever. The person doing it might feel like they’re being clever, but think about it, who sees the piece of paper? One person, maybe two at most. The only message a spoiled vote sends it that you don’t care enough to make a decision and are happy with the status quo. Same goes for staying at home.
Now, some may say it sends a message to the politicians – no it doesn’t. As above, no politician will see it. Yes, they may eventually get a percentage figure from some report, but they won’t care.
Want to make a change? Vote for someone that will make them uncomfortable, that will make them worry what they’ll come out with next. Vote for someone you believe will genuinely challenge them every day.
When the cycle of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael stops, there should be no going back. Never again must the two main parties be allowed to dominate power and opposition. Never again must weak men who jump from one failed portfolio to another, proving time and again their utter incompetence be allowed even a whiff of power. Weak men unquestionably follow orders, no matter what and Weakness breeds corruption. But I do believe we can and will put an end to it.
It won’t be over night, but we will prevail.