The last leaflets have been delivered, the debates have passed, the campaign is over. Now it’s up to voters to speak their mind as they cast their votes in the general election today. Polls opened at 7am and will remain open until 10pm.

General secretary Kevin Callinan urged members to vote today, saying: “The ballot box is one of the few places where all citizens’ voices are equal. No matter who you vote for, the right to vote is a powerful thing.”

Kevin continued “Though Fórsa does not support or endorse any political party, we do encourage all members to have their say in shaping the make-up of the next Dáil Éireann.”

“In this campaign we produced a manifesto outlining our key policies and a poster for members to use when canvassers visited them and reviewed the political parties’ manifestos. You can consult those materials here.” 

“When the next Government is formed, we will be the ones knocking on their door with our list of priorities, as outlined in the manifesto, to make sure they won’t be able to say they don’t know what our members want and need.”

Over 20,000 Fórsa members took part in our Amárach survey this summer and overwhelmingly stated that they would support candidates who committed to better pay and conditions for workers, the protection of flexible and remote work, and high-quality public services. The union’s manifesto reflects those priorities.

More than 680 candidates are running to be elected, across 43 constituencies. There are more women candidates in this election, with 246 running, the highest number ever. Over 3 million people are eligible to vote.

The Electoral Commission has produced several useful resources for voters, including clear explainers of PR-STV, the Irish electoral system. You can view them here.

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.