As voters go to the polls tomorrow, it is impossible to predict with any certainty the makeup of the 34th Dáil – the final composition will not be known until the counting is complete, early next week.

However, research carried out by a Government-funded body suggests that, when it comes to gender balance across our public representatives, the most effective way to achieve equality across both Houses of the Oireachtas, is for those who succeed in being elected TDs and senators to pass the council seat that many of them are vacating to a woman.

While gender quotas are in place for the general election, requiring a minimum of 40% female candidates per party, no such stipulation was in place for the local elections. This meant the country’s two largest political parties; Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were not penalised for only running 24% and 29% female candidates, respectively. Had they only reached these levels in the general election campaign, they would have lost 50% of their state funding.

See Her Elected (SHE) is a programme that supports women in rural Ireland to become candidates in local elections, with several of those who succeeded in last June’s vote now contesting a seat in Leinster House.

The programme involves a continuous series of interactive workshops covering the different areas needed to launch a campaign along with online political education and a comprehensive practical guidebook for prospective candidates and their campaign teams.

‘Wall of men’

The team behind SHE believes that those who already hold council or Dáil seats have a significant advantage over first-time candidates when it comes to an election. Research conducted following this year’s local elections shows that, of those who were in office ahead of the vote, 85% went on to retain their seats.

Dr Michelle Maher is programme manager with See Her Elected and believes more can and should be done to support women who enter politics.

“Political parties talk a good talk about supporting women in politics, but now is the time to walk the walk. The co-option process is a real and immediate opportunity to demonstrate commitment to gender equity in local government,” she says.

“Female candidates are increasingly met with ‘a wall of men’ getting re-elected over successive election cycles. Voters are extremely loyal when it comes to voting for incumbents, those who are outgoing councillors or TDs seeking re-election.

“Those incumbents who had been co-opted to their seats during the term of the last local government, 2019–2024, were also very successful in winning a seat last June.”

The next Dáil will be made up of 174 TDs, many of whom will come from local authorities all over the country. Their promotion to national government means they will leave vacant seats in local government, which Michelle believes is the place for women to make their mark.

“Unlike vacancies that occur in the Dáil which require a by-election to fill a seat, council vacancies are filled through co-option, where legislation is in place to allow a political party to fill a seat vacated during the term,” she explains.

“Each party has its own procedures on how a new councillor is selected and where the vacancy occurs when an Independent, non-party councillor vacates a seat, the local authority’s standing orders apply.

Female candidates are increasingly met with ‘a wall of men’ getting re-elected over successive election cycles. Voters are extremely loyal when it comes to voting for incumbents

“This general election is a golden opportunity for all parties with council vacancies to increase the number of female councillors by having equity in political representation as the guiding principle when going through the co-option process.

“Political parties talk a good talk about the importance of supporting women in local government and a diversity of women at that. But they are not walking the walk. If women from differing backgrounds are not present in the grassroots membership, then party leaders need to ask why and have a recruitment plan implemented that is not mere lip-service.

“Leadership is required to demonstrate to the entire party membership, branch by branch, that this party means what it says about equity in political representation.”

Dympna Daly Finn is contesting the Roscommon Galway constituency for Fine Gael. She came within one vote of securing a seat on Roscommon County Council last June and says her experience of that campaign convinced her to run for the Dáil.

“Before I decided to run in the local elections, I found about SHE (See Her Elected) and Women for Elections online. I signed up to their training and workshops and found both very informative, offering great advice,” she says.

First time general election FG candidate Dympna Daly Finn, Roscommon Galway.

“I narrowly lost out on that election so I felt I had unfinished business. That’s why I put myself forward for selection at the convention and I have to say I’ve found the general election campaign very exhilarating. The pace of the campaign is so much greater than the local elections, but the experiences I gained during that canvass gave me a great platform to easily engage with people on the doorsteps again.

“My aim in this election campaign is to increase my vote and put myself in the running for a seat in Dáil Éireann as I feel for too long, we have not had representation in government in Roscommon Galway. I want to be there for the people and ensure no part of the county is left out when looking for investment and improvement in services.

“The experience between the local and general election campaigns has been quite similar, you meet people with differing views to you, but I feel it is how you engage with them and listen to them that makes the difference. SHE and Women for Elections really set you up on how to deal with these situations.”

Michelle says that by supporting more women to enter local government, an increase in female representation in the Dáil becomes more likely.

“The benefit of being a co-opted councillor at election time is that they have been given the opportunity to build up contacts and a profile and time to develop an electoral base,” she says.

“Sitting councillors running for election have automatic name recognition and a positive association with elements of the councillor’s role such as community projects benefiting from council funding.

This goes a long way to mitigating against the lack of experience of a well-fought election campaign. That 85% of incumbent candidates were successful, taking 72% of available council seats, speaks for itself.

“Vacancies arise for a number of different reasons, chief among them when councillors are elected to the Dáil, Seanad, or European Parliament. Other councillors step down for personal reasons or retire and over the past five years, a total of 144 councillors have left their seats.

“Should Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have successful general and Seanad elections, they can openly demonstrate that they mean what they say when it comes to women in local politics. They can compensate for their comparatively low number of female candidates through the co-option process.”

Funded by the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government, SHE is delivered under the auspices of Longford Women’s Link with the aim of increasing female representation in local government and ensuring women from diverse backgrounds have a voice in political decision making.