It’s the final run up this week to the general election & recent polling shows a tight race between the major parties.
Fianna Fáil is at 21%, Sinn Féin at 20%, and Fine Gael has dropped to 19% down 6 points
Fine Gaels Drop is thought to be following a poor campaign by leader Simon Harris, marked by controversies like the National Children’s Hospital and debate missteps.
Aontú has seen a slight rise, reaching 5% in some polls, but their chances of winning seats remain uncertain.
Smaller parties like Labour, Social Democrats, and Greens are struggling, with Labour at 4% and the Greens facing potential seat losses.
Political correspondent Sean Defoe spoke earlier on Morning Mix & says the leaders’ debate tomorrow was never more crucial:
“I can’t remember an election campaign, which has had such potential significance. It is the last chance for them to claw both back or really lay a dig into each other. The dynamic will be fascinating. The two government leaders against Mary Lou McDonald, they can’t exactly gang up on her, it wouldn’t look great. She can very easily spin that to her advantage. So it will be fascinating and it will be, I think, the last real marker of this campaign for someone to do something dramatic to shift the results.”
Meanwhile, The Head of Electoral Operations, Tim Carey, has given some key advice for first-time voters in preparation for the election. One of the most important things is identification which can be your driver’s license, passport, or student card to vote. To ensure your vote counts, always start with a number one beside your preferred candidate on the ballot. You can rank as many candidates as you wish, but never use symbols like X or ticks, as this will invalidate your vote. Speaking on Morning Mix Tim Carey said if you make a mistake, you can return the spoiled ballot for a new one.
“So you need to bring a driver’s license, a passport, a banker’s card, student card. If you go on to the Electoral Commission website, we have all the information about what identification.
They’re very generous in the terms of identification, so you will have identification that will identify you. Go inside your candidates in advance, if you can, and then just start on your ballot paper with the number one and work your way down & then put it in the ballot box and your vote will be the same as mine.”
