Electoral Commission (Ireland)

An independent electoral commission is planned by the current Irish government to oversee the conduct of all elections in the state. This responsibility is at present distributed among various government departments, statutory agencies and components of the Oireachtas (parliament).

History

In 2008, the then Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government commissioned and published a study on introducing an electoral commission, carried out by academics from University College Dublin.[1] After the 2011 general election, the Fine Gael and Labour parties formed a coalition government whose programme included a commitment to establish an electoral commission.[2] Such a commission was also recommended in the Constitutional Convention's 2013 report on the system of elections to Dáil Éireann (lower house of the Oireachtas),[3] which was also endorsed the government.[4] Alan Kelly, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, outlined progress of the plan in Seanad Éireann (upper house of the Oireachtas) in December 2014,[5][6] The government published a consultation paper in January 2015, and said it intended to introduce a bill in the Oireachtas in 2015.[7] The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht discussed the plan with Alan Kelly on 10 March 2015. Kelly stated that drafting the enabling bill would begin when the committee had consulted and reported back to him, that he expected the bill to be enacted by the end of 2015, that the commission would not be established before the next general election, and that functions should be assigned to it on a phased basis.[8] In April 2015 the committee invited submissions on the government's consultation paper from interest groups,[9] and held hearings with them in June and July.[10] The committee's report was launched on 14 January 2016.[11]

Possible functions

The Australian Electoral Commission and UK Electoral Commission have been taken as case studies of possible models for the Irish body.[12] The 2015 consultation paper suggests the new commission might subsume several existing bodies, including some or all of the Referendum Commission, the Constituency Commission (for Dáil and European Parliament constituency boundaries) and the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. It might also take responsibility for electoral functions from other bodies:[13]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Sinnott, Richard; John Coakley; John O’Dowd; James McBride (November 2008). "Preliminary study on the establishment of an Electoral Commission in Ireland" (PDF). Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ↑ DECLG 2015, p.5
  3. ↑ Constitutional Convention 2013, p.9
  4. ↑ "Fourth Report of the Constitutional Convention on the Dáil Electoral System: Statements (Continued)". Dáil Éireann debates. 18 December 2014. p. 47. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  5. ↑ ""Progress on the Establishment of Independent Electoral Commission" Speech by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D.". MerrionStreet.ie. Government of Ireland. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Electoral Commission: Motion". Seanad Éireann debates. 17 December 2014. p. 24. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Kehoe, Paul (14 January 2015). "Section C: Bills in respect of which heads have yet to be approved by Government" (PDF). Government Legislation Programme: Spring/Summer Session 2015. p. 13. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government". Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht proceedings. Oireachtas. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht (30 April 2015). "Have your say: Environment Committee seeks submissions on Electoral Commission" (Press release). Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht Electoral Commission in Ireland: Discussion; 16 June 2015 23 June 2015 30 June 2015 7 July 2015 14 July 2015
  11. ↑ "11–15 January 2016". This Week in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Oireachtas. January 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016. Report Launch / Report on the Consultation on the Proposed Electoral Commission 2016 /Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht / Audio Visual Room, LH2000, on Thursday, 14 January 2016 at 11 a.m.
  12. ↑ Constitutional Convention 2013, pp.62–63, 77
  13. ↑ DECLG 2015, p.17
  14. 1 2 Working Group on Seanad Reform (April 2015). "Report" (PDF). Department of the Taoiseach. p. 37. Retrieved 13 May 2015. The Working Group recognises that the Electoral Commission, to be established by the Government, would have responsibility far beyond Seanad Elections and in that regard that the Interim body and its functions would be subsumed into the wider Electoral Commission.
  15. ↑ Working Group on Seanad Reform (5 May 2015). "Part 8: Seanad Electoral Commission" (PDF). Seanad Bill 2015 [draft]. Department of the Taoiseach. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 13 May 2015.

External links

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