Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Phelan, and thank him for his opening statement on the proposed electoral commission. I am glad that we are finally making a move on this important issue.

As democracy faces challenges across the world, Ireland is a beacon of reason and toleration in the face of waves of hate and disruption but we cannot take for granted that this will continue to be the case. We must move to strengthen the institutions that ensure the long-term health and fairness of our democracy and avoid what is happening in previously solid democracies, such as the United States. The Green Party was the first political party to advocate for a fully independent electoral commission almost two decades ago. In government, our Ministers initiated work on the establishment of such a commission. I want to see a body that is independent and operational with broad responsibilities and accountability to the Houses of the Oireachtas. It should assume all of the existing responsibilities for election management such as constituency boundary reviews. Such reviews should be more transparent, with the reasoning and responses to submissions explored in greater detail.

The commission should be independent of the Government and not reliant on a specific Department for resources. Such resources must be guaranteed by law and provided by the Oireachtas. For a commission to do its necessary work, it must be given statutory powers to put its decisions into practice. The commission needs to examine how we can effectively regulate election campaign spending in a time of dark Facebook advertising and external interference in domestic political campaigns.The disparity between online and other media regulations has become glaring and it is difficult for a non-independent body to correct it.

The commission needs to have the power to consider the franchise and whether it would be possible and appropriate to expand it to include those who are currently excluded. My colleague Senator Lynn Ruane has mentioned the campaign to enable young people to vote at 16 years. I specifically mention the plight of those who have recently emigrated. This is one of the few democracies that does not facilitate postal voting for this significant cohort. I am not talking about the descendants of the diaspora or passport holders but those who are denied a vote in their country of residence as well as in their own. This disenfranchisement is indecent and unfair and I hope it could end with a properly resourced commission. I want to see any commission examine the possibilities for automatic voter registration, thus putting an end to the exclusion of people, especially first time voters. We have seen the need for such a strong body with these extensive powers as democracy seems to weaken across the western world.

We need to see a strong independent commission to ensure the renewal and strengthening of the electoral system in order that it can maintain the confidence of citizens and ensure the long-term health of elections, our society and democracy. As a member of the Seanad reform group, this is an area in which we would like to see the concept of one vote, one person. Perhaps the commission could look into it once it is established.

I wish the Minister of State the best of luck in drafting the heads of the Bill and hope it will be brought to the Dáil as soon as possible.