Greatest regulators of election posters are Tidy Towns committees, Oireachtas told
Large number of election posters on Boreenmanna Road heading for the junction at the South Link Road, Cork, ahead of the 2024 general election. File picture: Jim Coughlan
The “greatest regulators” of “marmite” election posters are Tidy Towns committees, the head of Ireland’s electoral commission has said.
An Coimisiún Toghcháin chief executive Art O'Leary told an Oireachtas committee hearing on Tuesday that turnout in the last general election was up to 7% higher than previously estimated due to the number of duplicate or dead entries on the electoral register.
The Oireachtas Housing Committee met with An Coimisiún Toghcháin and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) to discuss election posters and the electoral register.
The commission has recommended reducing the size of election posters, enforcing existing laws, and communicating with political stakeholders about public safety. It is not recommending that posters be banned.
Fianna Fáil TD Seamus McGrath questioned why the number of posters could not be limited or designated locations provided for them.
Scroll for results in your area
Mr O’Leary said enforcing a cap and tracking the posters would be difficult.
“If you confine posters to a certain area, towns perhaps, then the towns might feel victimised,” Mr O’Leary said.
“I think you have all discovered in recent years that the greatest regulators of political posters are Tidy Towns committees, where there are local arrangements, where people get involved in this too.
“There are many, many people, particularly young people in this country, who have no idea that there is an election coming until they see the posters. Ultimately, that is the real benefit of it.”
Mr O’Leary confirmed 242,000 entries had been removed from the electoral register, including duplicates, people who moved, or people who died or emigrated.
The turnout for the November 2024 general election was recorded at 59.7%.
In response to queries from Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin, Mr O’Leary noted the turnout was probably 6% or 7% higher than reported.
Mr O’Leary said there was “no evidence” of foreign interference in Irish elections but noted An Coimisiún Toghcháin experienced its “first very sophisticated deepfake” during last year’s presidential election.
This involved a fake video of RTÉ broadcasters Sharon Ní Bheoláin and Paul Cunningham saying Catherine Connolly had pulled out of the race.
He noted while Meta promptly removed the video, there was a “Streisand effect”, as other media outlets later started to report on it.
Mr O’Leary estimated 1.5 million people saw the video through it being shared by media.
- Louise Burne, Political Correspondent
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
