Integration and political participation:
Immigrants and the 2009
local elections in Ireland
This is a summary of Neil O'Boyle's article published in the Spring 2009 issue of Studies. The full text of this article can be ordered by clicking on "add to cart" button above. A PDF file of the article will be sent to you by email.
A person of any country-of-origin is eligible for election to a local authority here if he or she is at least 18 years of age, is ordinarily resident in the local area, and has entered his or her name on the register of electors.
Several immigrant candidates came forward for the last local elections in 2004, with one being elected in Ennis and one in Portlaoise. For the June 2009 local elections, ten immigrant candidates nationwide have already declared themselves – most of them backed by a political party.
On the other hand, many immigrants remain unaware even of their right to vote in local elections. According to 2008 research for the Immigrant Council of Ireland, only 1% to 2% of the Chinese, Indian, Lithuanian, and Nigerian people approached said that they were politically active here. Dublin city Council’s ‘Migrant Voters’ Project’ aims to improve things – issuing multi-lingual promotional materials regarding the right to vote, the need to register, the practicalities of Election Day. The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, and African groupings, have also been raising awareness.
One might think that migrants from the African countries would be less inclined to vote – since they suffer high rates of unemployment and frequent discrimination. However, one tally of Nigerians showed a voter-participation rate of 40%.
The reason for the elevated participation-rate among people of African origin may well be that, having organised themselves (through churches, etc.) they are already ‘socialised’ and experiencing the confidence that comes from social solidarity.
For any substantive realisation of integration, however, the winning, through politics, of occasional cultural concessions will be wholly insignificant. More is needed than simple participation in the prevailing structures of how civic life is operated – those structures themselves will need to be demonstrated as being open to challenge.
Neil O’Boyle is Researcher on Integration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland, School of Applied Social Science, University College, Dublin.
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