Your Vote is Your Voice

Seanad Éireann

The Seanad is the upper house of the Oireachtas, with the lower house being the Dáil. Members of the Seanad are known as Senators.

The main function of the Seanad is to debate legislation proposed by the Government. The Seanad can amend a Bill that has been passed by the Dáil and delay, but not stop, it becoming law. Senators can also introduce their own Bills, which are debated in the Seanad and, if passed, are then debated in the Dáil. Ultimately, the role of the Seanad is to improve the law making process. Although the Government has no constitutional responsibility to Seanad Éireann, a Minister or Minister of State attends the Seanad when it is dealing with Bills or debating Government policy.

The Seanad is made up of 60 members. Unlike the Dáil, members of the Seanad are not directly elected.
Of these;
• 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach;
• 43 are elected from vocational panels;
• 6 are elected from University panels.

Seanad elections have to take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the Dáil. This means that the new Dáil will have assembled before the Seanad elections take place.

To become a Senator, you must be:
• A citizen of Ireland
• Over 21 years old

You must not be:
• Serving a prison sentence of more than 6 months;
• A person of unsound mind;
• A judge;
• A senior official of the European Union;
• A civil servant;
• A member of An Garda Síochána or a full-time member of the Defence Forces.

Vocational panels are responsible for the election of 43 out of 60 Senators. This is outlined in Article 18 of the Constitution. There are five different panels which are listed below:
• Cultural and educational panel (5);
• Agricultural panel (11);
• Labour panel (11);
• Industrial and commercial panel (9);
• Administrative panel (7).

Each panel corresponds to a different theme. Candidates are required to have a certain level of knowledge and experience related to their panel. Each panel will elect between 5 and 11 members and candidates are only permitted to run for election on one panel.

The following people make up the electorate for each of the vocational panels:
• Members of the incoming Dáil;
• Members of the outgoing Seanad;
• Members of county councils and city councils.

The Seanad returning officer maintains a list of nominating bodies for each of the five panels. A nominating body is an organisation whose work or members is relevant to a panel. Organisations can only be registered on one panel.

Candidates can be nominated by four members of the Oireachtas or a nominating body. Each panel elects a minimum amount of candidates from candidates who have been nominated by Oireachtas members and nominating bodies.

For example, the cultural and educational panel elect five candidates. At least two candidates must be elected from candidates nominated by Oireachtas members and two from nominating bodies.

The Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024 established a single Higher Education constituency which replaced the two three-seat university constituencies that had been in place – the University of Dublin (TCD) and National University of Ireland (NUI) constituencies.

Under the Act, the Higher Education constituency comprises all designated institutions including:

a) The National University of Ireland (NUI)

b) The University of Dublin (TCD)

c) A designated institution of Higher Education under the Higher Education Authority Act 2022

Further information in relation to the Higher Education Constituency and a full list of designated institutions is available at SeanadVoter.ie

Seanad elections are conducted through postal voting and use Proportional Representation – Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV). Similar to all other elections in Ireland.

To be eligible to register to vote in the Higher Education constituency in Seanad elections you must be:

• an Irish citizen;
• at least 18 years of age; and
• have received a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree from a designated institution.

Holders of an honorary degree are not eligible to register.

There is no requirement to live in Ireland to be registered to vote in the Higher Education constituency.

The electoral register for the Higher Education constituency is managed by the National University of Ireland (NUI) which is the Central Registration Authority.

 You can register on-line at SeanadVoter.ie

A full list of designated institutions is also available at SeanadVoter.ie

To contest an election a person may nominate themselves as a candidate in the Higher Education constituency or may be nominated by another person (who must be a registered elector in the Higher Education constituency). A candidate’s nomination must be assented to by 60 registered electors in the Higher Education constituency.

Alternatively, a candidate can make a deposit of €1,800 to secure their nomination. This fee will be returned to them if they are elected.

You do not have to be a graduate of a designated institution of Higher Education to be eligible to be a candidate, but you must fulfil the normal eligibility criteria outlined above to be a senator.

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