Government publish Electoral Reform Bill, includes new independent Electoral Commission

3 comments

1. The Electoral Reform Bill, published today, will bring about major modernisation of Ireland’s electoral system. An Electoral Commission will be established as an independent body with a broad remit in electoral oversight to inform the evolution of our electoral system 1/

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   There’s a video in tweet (I can’t fetch it, Twitter API 2 doesn’t support it)

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   posted by [@DeptHousingIRL](https://twitter.com/DeptHousingIRL/)

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   ^(If media is missing, please DM me with a link to submission url and tweet. I will do my best to solve the issue)

2. Went for the Twitter link since the video gives a nice summary, and the [full press release](https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/859a0-significant-modernisation-of-irelands-electoral-system-to-be-delivered-under-electoral-reform-bill/) was a bit dry.

   Interesting points include:

   * An Electoral Commission, which will also be expected to help educate the population about our elections, and also making it easier to hold referenda.
   * Making it easier for people to register to vote (e.g. online), and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register ahead of their birthday. (There’s also mention of considering lowering the voting age to 17.)
   * Provisions for people who cannot attend in person.
   * Regulation for online political advertising.

   The full bill is [here](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2022/37/).

3. They know they’re doomed in the next election under the current format, so I am skeptical of the motivation for reform.