THE most startling statistic to take away from the recent general election was the voter turnout, which was down nationally – from 63% in 2020 to below 60% this time round.
Whether the 59.7% turnout was down to voter apathy, inclement weather or contentment with the status quo remains to be seen but it’s a worrying downward trend.
In Cork South West, turnout was 63.9%, marginally down from 64.5% in 2020.
This reflects a continuing decline over the past 13 years, with 73% voter turnout recorded for the 2011 general election, while eight years ago Cork South West recorded a voter turnout of 68%.
Cork North West also a recorded a decrease in voter turnout from 65% in 2020 to 64% in 2024.
The most notably drop was with Cork East, which saw a significant reduction from 61% in 2020 to 57% this year.
Cork South West Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O’Sullivan said that the bad weather on Friday November 29th obviously didn’t help in getting voters out to vote.
‘It was a fairly dull and wet day but maybe there is a concerning trend that over the past few general elections the trajectory has seen a reduction in voter turnout,’ he said.
‘Perhaps people feel sometimes disengaged from their politicians. I try to address this by meeting people and going to secondary schools to try and outline the importance of democracy and politics.’
DCU politics lecturer Prof Gary Murphy said that the lack of a binary choice between opposition and government might have depressed turnout a bit.
‘In other words, if you think that a vote for the opposition, whether Sinn Fein or the Soc Dems or whoever, is a bit pointless as they’re not going to be able to get into government, then you might not vote. There is evidence internationally that when voters think the outcome is a foregone conclusion, then some of them don’t vote. I, for one, am sceptical that the State needs to do more to encourage voting by having it on a different day or over multiple days, or even compulsory voting.
‘If people want to vote they will and if they don’t they won’t no matter what is done to encourage them,’ said Prof Murphy.
Independent Ireland party leader and Cork South West TD Michael Collins firmly believes that the electoral register needs to be updated properly to get a more accurate voter turnout figure.
‘There are a lot of names on the electoral register who are no longer living here or are deceased. We should bring back the old system of employing people to keep the register updated and I firmly believe that if it was cleaned up property it would move us up 70% turnout,’ said Deputy Collins.
Cllr Alan Coleman, who also stood in the general election, said there was no big issue that grabbed the public’s imagination.
‘The campaigns were predictable and there was no prospect of a real change of government. Plus the weather wasn’t great but these excuses aren’t valid reasons for not voting,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Cork North West poll topper, Fianna Fáil’s Aindrias Moynihan pointed out that it is good to see that a large number of people are adding their names to the electoral register.
‘We saw that ahead of the local elections where over 2,500 people in the Macroom area added their names to the register showing that they are clearly interested in taking part.
‘There were several thousand too adding their names ahead of the general election,’ said Deputy Moynihan.
‘Obviously there are people on the register who are not able or eligible to vote or those who have passed away and that’s going to include the overall figure.’
