The fourth session of the Irish Constitutional Convention took place over two weekends, May 18-19 and June 8-9, 2013, and focused on the Dáil electoral system.
Background of the Convention
The Irish Constitutional Convention emerged in a unique political context following the 2011 general election, which was often described as an "electoral earthquake." The economic downturn of 2008 significantly reshaped voter preferences, leading to a coalition government between Fine Gael and Labour.
While not the first process of its kind globally, the Convention was heavily influenced by prior deliberative democratic initiatives, particularly the citizens' assemblies of British Columbia, Ontario, and the Netherlands (Farrell et al., 2020). It also built upon Ireland’s own experience with deliberative democracy, including the 2011 We the Citizens pilot assembly, which demonstrated the potential of direct citizen participation in constitutional reform.
In June 2012, both houses of the Oireachtas passed resolutions establishing the Convention. It was mandated to convene for at least eight Saturdays over a year, with its first working sessions beginning in early 2013. The Convention concluded its work in February 2014 (Farrell et al., 2018).
Despite some criticism (Carolan, 2015), academic assessments of the Convention have generally been positive (Flinders et al., 2016; Suteu, 2015; White, 2017). It was widely regarded as a successful deliberative process (Suiter et al., 2016), and many of its recommendations were implemented or considered in subsequent government initiatives (Farrell, 2018). It also paved the way for future experiments with citizens’ assemblies in Ireland.
Structure of the Convention
Membership selection
The Convention comprised 100 members:
- 66 randomly selected citizens,
- 33 politicians (selected by their parties from both Ireland and Northern Ireland),
- 1 independent Chairperson.
The random selection process was conducted by Behaviours and Attitudes (see more here).
Political parties and groups in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann nominated representatives on the basis of their relative strengths in the Oireachtas. Political parties represented in the Northern Ireland Assembly were invited to nominate one representative each.
Governance
Chairperson
The Chairperson was responsible for running the Convention and engaging necessary support services for its effective administration. As the main moderator, the Chairperson was selected by the Prime Minister and was independent. They had direction and control over the staff of the secretariat and other resources available, subject to the wishes of the Convention. The Chairperson also made recommendations on the management of business as needed.
Secretary and Secretariat
The Secretary and Secretariat were responsible for handling the logistics of the assembly, ensuring the smooth operation of the Convention.
Advisory Panel
At the outset of the process, the Chair and Secretary appointed an advisory panel of experts. This panel advised on the selection of experts who would present information to the Convention members. The advisory panel consisted of political scientists with expertise in deliberative democracy and a legal scholar.
Steering Group
A Steering Group was established to support the Convention in efficiently and effectively discharging its role and functions. The group assisted with planning and operational issues related to the work program. It was composed of the Chairperson, representatives from political parties, public members, and any other representatives deemed necessary by the Convention.
Structure of plenary session
Proceedings
The first meeting (May 18–19, 2013) focused on the role of Parliament and the Executive, the policy development process in Ireland, and public opinion on electoral reform. Experts provided insights into the Irish electoral system and alternative electoral models, followed by discussions on potential reforms. Participants engaged in roundtable discussions, plenary sessions, and Q&A panels to explore various electoral issues. The weekend concluded with advocacy group presentations, a final advisory panel Q&A, and the announcement of results.
The second meeting (June 8–9, 2013) delved deeper into specific electoral reform options, particularly the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system and its potential application in Ireland. Discussions covered the merits and drawbacks of the existing Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, possible adjustments to constituency sizes and parliamentary structures, and broader democratic participation. The session also examined public submissions and government perspectives on electoral administration. The weekend concluded with the finalization of ballot papers, reflections on electoral reform, and the announcement of results.
The programme included:
- Expert presentations: Academic experts in law and social science (family therapy/psychology) provided insights on same-sex marriage and its legal and societal implications.
- Advocacy and civil society groups: Representatives from various advocacy organizations presented their perspectives.
- Small group deliberations: Members engaged in roundtable discussions to explore the issues in depth.
- Plenary sessions: The key themes emerging from the small group discussions were shared and debated.
- Q&A with advisory panel: Members had an opportunity to clarify outstanding questions before voting.
- Final deliberations and voting: Members voted on recommendations based on their deliberations.
A more detailed overview of the programme can be found in the Fourth Report here.
Voting and ballots
When a vote was required, it was conducted by secret ballot among the members present. The Chairperson, supported by at least two other members of the Convention, oversaw the voting process.
To facilitate structured decision-making, the voting process was divided into three stages. First, members determined whether to recommend reform on the issue at hand. If a majority supported reform, the second stage involved considering the specific details of the proposed changes. Finally, the third stage allowed members to vote on additional prominent themes that had arisen during deliberations.
The Convention considered potential changes to Ireland’s electoral system, including modifications to PR-STV, the adoption of an MMP system, and broader electoral reforms.
A slight majority (54%) supported changing the existing PR-STV electoral system. However, 79% opposed replacing PR-STV with a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. Given the decision to retain PR-STV, no further vote was required on the preferred form of MMP.
Among possible modifications to PR-STV, 86% supported ensuring that no constituency size is smaller than five seats, while 67% favored changing the alphabetical order of candidates on the ballot paper.
On the structure of Dáil Éireann, 49% supported increasing the number of TDs beyond 159. Additionally, 55% favored allowing non-members of the Oireachtas to be appointed as Ministers, while 59% supported requiring TDs to resign their seats upon appointment as Ministers.
The Convention also considered broader electoral reforms, with strong support for measures such as establishing an Electoral Commission, extending polling hours and days, improving postal voting access, enhancing the accuracy of the electoral register, introducing measures to boost voter turnout, and implementing electoral education programs in schools.
Direct democracy received strong backing, with 83% supporting its introduction with adequate safeguards. Among potential forms of direct democracy, 80% supported allowing citizens to place or remove items from the legislative agenda, while 78% favored requiring constitutional referenda to be held.
A more detailed overview of the voting results are available in the Fourth Report here.
Recommendations and Government response
The Convention made the following key recommendations:
- The existing PR-STV electoral system should be amended to ensure that the smallest constituency size is a 5-seater and to remove the alphabetical order of candidates on the ballot paper.
- The State should establish an Electoral Commission.
- Polling hours and days should be extended to improve voter access.
- There should be greater access to postal voting.
- The accuracy of the electoral register should be improved.
- Measures should be introduced to increase electoral turnout.
- Education programmes on electoral participation should be introduced in schools.
- There should be non-parliamentary ministers in government.
- Members of the Dáil should be required to resign their seats upon being appointed to ministerial office.
- Citizen-initiatives should be introduced, enabling petitions to influence the parliamentary agenda and call referenda. Based on the deliberations and voting results, the Convention made the following key recommendations:
- Retain the PR-STV electoral system with key modifications, including ensuring no constituencies smaller than five seats and revising the alphabetical ordering of candidates on ballots.
- Consider increasing the number of members of Dáil Éireann beyond 159.
- Allow for non-parliamentary Ministers while ensuring necessary safeguards.
- Implement direct democracy measures enabling citizens to petition for legislative and constitutional changes.
- Improve electoral participation through an Electoral Commission, extended polling hours, and increased voter education.
These recommendations were compiled in the Fourth Report (here), published in August 2013, and are available on the Citizens’ Assembly website (here).
The Government was required to respond within four months. A parliamentary debate took place on December 18, 2013.
Government Response
The Government approved a series of policy proposals aimed at modernising the electoral registration process. While it did not accept the proposal that no constituency should have fewer than five seats, it did establish the Electoral Commission, which is expected to address several of the remaining recommendations as part of its work.
A full overview of the Government's response is available here.
