Transition year students in Mayo get a lesson in local democracy and equal representation
Transition year students from Ballyhaunis Community School were taught about the importance of voting and having equal representation after taking part in a workshop highlighting gender inequality in local politics.
Students were introduced to local democracy. They learnt how to register to vote, how the STV system works, who is entitled to vote and stand in various elections, and how progressive action is vital to addressing gender imbalance in local politics.
The session was run by See Her Elected in partnership with the Register of Electors Team at Mayo County Council.
The workshop encouraged students to think about representation by comparing the gender balance in their own classroom, which was a 50-50 split of around 60 boys and girls, with the split in Mayo County Council.
In the 2024 local elections, just three of the 30 councillors elected in Mayo were women. The figure rose to five once Senator Mark Duffy and Deputy Paul Lawless co-opted their party colleagues, Marie-Therese Duffy and Deirdre Lawless, into their respective seats.
In a county where almost half the population are women and where women are increasingly active in various community participation and volunteering roles, the imbalance was understood as something that needs to change to achieve fair representation.
Students were also given a historical overview of women in politics in Mayo. In 1967, Nellie Robinson became the first female councillor in Mayo; since then, only 11 more women have been elected to the chamber.
Megan Flynn Dixon from See Her Elected ran the workshop and explained to students that, unless progressive action is taken, the picture is unlikely to change. She explained the role of incumbency and name recognition in rural politics.
“In rural locations, we like to identify people in terms of where they come from and who they are associated with,
“Somewhere like Dublin, where they are close to reaching parity, there is much more mobility in the population, so people aren’t as reliant on [wanting] to know where people are from,” she explained.
With a history of families living in the same townlands for generations, familiarity has long influenced rural voting patterns, a factor that can disadvantage new candidates.
Students then took part in group exercises that focused on what actions they can take to improve the gender imbalance they saw, and they also learnt that they can make a difference to their communities by exercising their civic responsibility and voting.
One of the exercises was ‘Power Mapping’, where they identified different organisations or groups they are part of and examined how close those are to political decision-making.
This led to a discussion about Public Participation Networks, which serve as a link between community groups and local authorities.
It was a look into how influence can be built long before a person stands for election, and how it is possible to make a positive change in the local area without needing to be elected.
Using social media, podcasts and documentaries was also raised by the students as suggestions for improving political engagement, it was noted that local politics was not as visible on platforms that people their age use.
Patrica Flynn and Lucy Tuohy from the Register of Electors Team at Mayo County Council spoke to the students about the importance and simplicity of registering to vote, as well as the importance of using their vote.
Although the students are not yet able to vote, they were informed about voter registration and reminded that they can cast a vote and even stand as a candidate in the next local elections.
Spoilt ballots were also discussed in light of the recent Presidential election, where more than 6,300 ballots were spoilt in Mayo alone.
Students were taught that a misplaced mark or an unclear preference could invalidate their ballot.
“These students here will be eligible to vote when it comes around to 2029, so it’s important to get in now and explain it to them so that they are on the register, and they are ready to vote,” said Ms Flynn Dixon.
See Her Elected, established in 2019 and funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, provides free training and campaign guidance to women in rural counties who want to stand for election.
In 2024, a record 677 women ran for local elections. See Her Elected are working to translate these numbers into seats.
“More women are putting themselves out there,” Ms Flynn Dixon said, “In terms of See Her Elected and the work we are doing, we have 1000s of women on our mailing list and we have about 500 active women signing up for our election workshops.”
The See Her Elected ‘Guide to Running in the 2029 Local Elections’ is launching on Friday, November 21, and will help women who want to run for office in their area.
See Her Elected are hoping to run three more sessions in conjunction with Mayo County Council in the other three municipal district areas early next year.