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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories A spoiled ballot from the electionRollingNews.ie The Morning Lead 'Democracy includes the power to dissent': Our readers tell us why they spoiled their votes More than 200,000 people spoiled their votes – a record high for an Irish election. 12.06am, 29 Oct 2025 Share options LAST WEEKEND SAW the highest-ever proportion of spoiled votes in Irish electoral history. That statistic was one of the stories of an election that saw Catherine Connolly become Ireland’s 10th president, with many people unhappy with what was on offer when they cast their ballots. With more than 200,000 spoiled votes counted across the country – almost one-eighth of all votes cast – we asked our readers who may have spoiled their votes to explain why they did so. The stories they told explained how voters were not only dissatisfied with the candidates on the ballot, but with the government and its policies and the political system as a whole. Readers told us that they felt the candidates on the ballot did not represent them, that spoiling their vote was a protest against the government and politics more generally, or that they were disillusioned with the direction of Ireland socially and morally. Others expressed a desire for political and Constitutional reform that would make it easier for more candidates to stand the next time, while some also spoke about their broader frustration with the rising cost of living and how they feel working citizens are treated. Here are the stories we received. Lack of suitable candidates The overwhelming number of people who contacted us who said they spoiled their votes claimed they did so because they were not happy with any of the candidates on the ballot. Just three candidates were nominated this year – the lowest number since 1990 – which effectively fell to two once Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin ended his campaign at the start of October. Many readers told us that they felt they had no choice but to spoil their votes because they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for either Catherine Connolly or Heather Humphreys. One of them, Barry, told us that he decided to spoil his vote after the first debate, because he felt the candidates were detached from the struggles of ordinary people and that he was not impressed with their campaigns. At times the whole campaign felt childish – look how many keepie-uppies she can do or the whole fox-hunting debacle. Similarly, David Carahar from Monaghan said he would normally have leaned towards Fianna Fáil, but that he felt he had no choice but to spoil after Gavin ended his campaign. “I’m not sure what way I would have voted in the end, as this, in my opinion, was the worst election campaign I have encountered,” he said. Ray Dunne told us that for him, the choice on offer was “the best of a bad lot” rather than “the choice of picking the best” candidate. Lisa Shanley likewise emailed us and said there was no “lesser of two evils” option for her, but rather what she felt was “just choose one”. She was among a number of people who expressed a view that she felt a duty to vote, because people had died for her right to do so. “The spoiled votes were counted. Will they mean anything? Maybe not. But it at least shows [that] we showed up,” she said. Irene Rooney said she spoiled her vote because she felt “no candidate seemed appropriate for the office”, and suggested that future elections should provide a ‘none of the above’ option if people feel that the candidates on offer aren’t suited to them. Political protest Readers who contacted us after spoiling their votes also expressed dissatisfaction with Ireland’s political system, with some saying the parties in government or opposition do not represent them. Carl Farrelly told us that he spoiled his vote to protest against how the government is disconnected from Irish people; he said that without more choice in future elections, the number of “disenchanted and angry Irish people will grow and grow”. Another reader called William said he felt that spoiling his vote was the best mechanism available for him to express his dissatisfaction with both the nomination process and the President’s limited powers. “Legislative power is disproportionately concentrated in the Dáil, and in a country as heavily centralised as Ireland, this leaves insufficient checks and balances on its actions,” he said. He added that he hoped to see Constitutional reform that would empower both the Seanad and President in the legislative process as a counter-balance to the Dáil. Others claimed that politicians were not listening to the public on issues like immigration or the housing crisis. Advertisement Sean Clarke said he spoiled his vote because he felt Ireland has “gone too far left with PC and woke being the order of the day”, and that there was no “balance” in Irish politics. Jason Finnerty from Kilkenny said he was angry at the Government’s “failed promises to extend the first time buyers grant to second hand homes” and the amount being spent on accommodation for asylum seekers “when we have tens of thousands of homeless who aren’t afforded the same level of protection”. Sinead Beirne cited the government’s handling of immigration, the housing crisis and the delivery of projects like the National Children’s Hospital as the reason why she spoiled her vote “after careful consideration”. She said that by doing so, she hoped to send a message that she was “engaged” and “not passive”. She added: I am saying ‘this isn’t good enough’. I recognise the power of democracy includes the power to dissent — and I chose to exercise that power. Economic dissatisfaction However, when it came to how the government is performing on certain issues, there was one topic that came up more frequently than others in the emails we received about why people spoiled their votes. In several emails, readers told us how they were struggling to make ends meet and deal with the rising cost of living, and that they spoiled their vote as a protest against how they felt they were being treated. Ger from Galway told us that Ireland is failing to support those in the middle-income bracket and that there is “something fundamentally wrong with how this country functions”. He said that between income tax, petrol prices, motor tax and maintenance, people in rural Ireland “are being hit from every angle” and that Ireland needs a “more right-leaning government that stands up for people who get up every morning to go to work”. Rose Quinn also said she spoiled her vote for the first time ever, because she felt that the government are not concerned for Irish citizens. She said that she is still working at the age of 76, and that she is concerned that Ireland has “an economy at the expense of a society” and that people “are just economic units”. Alan Hickey also said he spoiled his vote because he felt none of the candidates represented him; he specifically referenced the government’s record when explaining why he didn’t pick Humphreys. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for a [former] government minister because of the absolute mess of the country and divide they have caused between people. One woman from the Midlands said that she was “tired of the current setup” and that a spoiled vote was her way of expressing her dissatisfaction. “This government does not care for workers, does not care for the vulnerable older or younger people in this country, who I care for,” she said. “I am tired of seeing them go without, day in day out, due to lack of services.” Nomination process Many readers also told us they spoiled their votes because of an unhappiness at how the nomination process played out. With a coalition of left-wing parties backing Catherine Connolly, Fine Gael backing Heather Humphreys and Fianna Fáil nominating Jim Gavin, other would-be candidates tried to get a nomination from 20 independent TDs or Senators or four county councils. However, none of those who attempted to get on the ballot were successful, leading to misleading accusations in some quarters that the government and opposition parties had ‘blocked’ them. Several people who contacted us said they would have liked to vote for Maria Steen, who managed to secure the signatures of 18 Oireachtas members, while others mentioned preferences for Nick Delehanty and businessman Gareth Sheridan (albeit to a lesser extent). Gary Molloy from Meath said he felt the government parties “damaged themselves by hogging the campaign and election process” and that he would have enjoyed the campaign more if there had been more candidates to take part in debates. Another reader, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the race for the Áras was “a ‘no choice’ election from day one”, and suggested the government parties didn’t want a repeat of Peter Casey’s second-place performance in the 2018 election. James Doyle from Dublin South Central said he spoiled his vote in protest over what he described as “the blocking of a conservative candidate”, adding: “They will say [it was] due process, but who are they fooling?” Jim Gavin votes Interestingly, a number of those who emailed us said that they voted for Jim Gavin rather than spoiling their vote. Tom emailed to say he voted for Gavin in protest, because he is annoyed at Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael because of “massive increases in property tax, health insurance, electricity, food, housing”, claiming that the current government is “out of touch and not caring”. However, he also said he was disappointed that a vote for Gavin is not technically a spoiled vote. Brian from Galway told us that he voted for Jim Gavin because he felt like he had “absolutely no choice between the other candidates”. Adrian also said that while he understood why people would spoil their votes, he chose Jim Gavin because “too many people are dying around the world for the right to vote” – though he said he would not have voted for Gavin had he been actively campaigning. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal Stephen McDermott Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'Democracy includes the power to dissent': Our readers tell us why they spoiled their votes”. 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