It has probably gone under the radar for many people but the country is in the midst of an election campaign to fill most of the seats in Seanad Éireann. But what does the upper Houses of the Oireachtas do? How is it elected? And who is running?
What does the Seanad do?
The Seanad debates legislation proposed by the Government. It can amend Bills and delay them, but not stop them from becoming law. Senators can also propose their own Bills. While there are several multi-term career senators, the Seanad is often viewed as a launch pad for politicians to be elected as a TD or to regain lost Dáil seats.
How are Senators elected and do I have a vote?
The vast majority of people have no vote in the Seanad election. Almost 3.7 million people were eligible to vote in the last Dáil election. The electorate for the Seanad is much more limited. The 174 TDs in the Dáil, 60 outgoing senators and 949 local authority councillors are the electorate for filling 43 of the seats on five Seanad vocational panels. Graduates of National University of Ireland (NUI) institutions and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) vote for the six seats (three in each) on the NUI and University of Dublin panels respectively. Less than 200,000 graduates made up the electorate for these seats in 2020. Long-overdue reforms will see around one million graduates across all third level institutions eligible to vote in future Seanad elections but not this one. The final 11 Seanad seats are appointed by the Taoiseach.
What are these vocational panels?
The five-seat Cultural and Educational panel is for Senators with knowledge and experience in these areas. There are Agricultural and Labour panels – which both have 11 seats. There are nine seats on the Industry and Commercial panel and seven on the Administrative panel. Candidates must be suitably qualified in these areas with the Seanad returning officer due to complete the panel of candidates on Wednesday.
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How can candidates get nominated?
There are two forms of nomination. Seanad hopefuls can be nominated by four Oireachtas members. These “inside” nominations are often used by political parties to ensure their preferred candidates are on the ballot paper. There are also “outside” nominations where registered nominating bodies like unions or charities can put forward candidates.
Who is running in the election?
There is expected to be just under 140 candidates on the campaign trail for the vocational panels seeking votes from politicians around the country. They include former TDs who were unsuccessful in bids to be elected to the Dáil last November like Alan Farrell of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil’s Joe Flaherty and Sinn Féin’s Pauline Tully. There are outgoing senators like independents Victor Boyhan and Frances Black among thecandidates. Others include environmentalist Éanna Ní Lamhna and Restaurants Association of Ireland chief executive Adrian Cummins. There are also several councillors running.
Any key races to watch?
The two university panels (28 candidates combined) are always hotly contested. The University of Dublin panel includes candidates like Independents Tom Clonan, Lynn Ruane and Katherine Zappone as well as Green politicians Ossian Smyth and Hazel Chu. The NUI panel includes incumbents Michael McDowell, Alice Mary Higgins and Rónán Mullen. How unsuccessful general election candidates fare in the election will also be closely watched.
When will we know the results?
It should be at the end of the month – for 49 of the seats at least. Polls close in the university panels at 11am on January 29th. Polls close for the vocational panels at 11am on January 30th and the counting of votes starts shortly after that.
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