The Irish Voter The Nature of Electoral Competition in the Republic of Ireland

The Irish Voterprovides the first comprehensive, academic survey of the motives, outlook, and behavior of voters in the Republic of Ireland. It explores long-term influences on voter choice, the economy, party leaders, and the candidates themselves. It also examines how vote and why many do not vote at all. Findings are assessed both within an Irish and a more comparative context. Ireland uses an electoral system that gives voters an unusual degree of freedom to pick the candidates they prefer: the single transferable vote. Attachment to parties is very low, differences between them are often obscure, candidate profiles are very high, and turnout is falling rapidly. However, Irish elections buck international trends as campaigns rely very heavily on personal contact between parties and the voters.

Michael Marsh is Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity College Dublin. Richard Sinnott is Professor of Politics at University College Dublin. John Garry is Lecturer in Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. Fiachra Kennedy is Research Fellow in the Geary Institute, University College Dublin.