Theresa Reidy

A worrying sign. Should have been the middle of the tea-time rush,

Turnout figures are poor but they seem to be edging towards 40%. It was very quiet in Cork City this morning. I was the only voter in the polling station at 11.

Lovely to speak today with members of the South Korean Electoral Commission delegation who are in Ireland on a research trip for the presidential election.

Are you a little confused about how Ireland’s Presidential Election works?

Fear not: I have once again picked up some 🔴 popular 🟠 coloured 🟡 chocolate-based 🟢 confectionary 🔵 treats 🟣 to show how the #aras25 votes are counted.

@virginmedianews.bsky.social

How will turnout in Friday’s presidential election affect the result? For the first time in a presidential election, there is a concerted campaign to persuade people to spoil their votes

How will turnout in Friday’s presidential election affect the result?

Professor @theresareidy.bsky.social, political scientist and specialist in voting behaviour, comments on the latest predictions.

Barra Roantree: I’m sorry, but your local property tax needs to go up Gutting of the tax may be welcomed by homeowners, but it just means we’re reliant on more economically damaging taxes

I’m sorry, but your local property tax needs to go up

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025... >> Barra Roantree is spot on here. It’s horrifying how little has been done to broaden the tax base since the crash.

Fascinating analysis by Prof.Dornschneider-Elkink on populist attitudes and voting in GE 2024. #PSAI25 @jelkink.bsky.social

But there are lots of reasons to believe turnout could be even lower for #Aras25 V few candidates, low intensity campaign, lots of dissatisfaction with ballot choice. Turnout below 40 would not be surprising.

I was talking about turnout at the 2024 general election at #PSAI25 this morn. Downward trend is clear; on average presidential election turnout is 14 points lower than general elections. If the trend holds, turnout on 24 October should be in low 40s.

Fascinating social class and voting data from Prof Gail McElroy from the 2024 general election National Election and Democracy Study. #PSAI25

Fascinating data from Kevin Saudé on negative partisanship among voters at the last election. #PSAI25

The full details of our panel are included below. All using data from the National Election and Democracy Study funded by the Electoral Commission. #PSAI25

Kevin Saudé is presenting now on a co-authored paper with Rory Costello on negative and positive partisanship. Also using data from the National Election and Democracy Study.

Panel 2 of the Voting and Elections specialist group has started at #PSAI25 in Galway. Chloe Holmes up first with a fascinating paper on conspiracy beliefs.

We should cherish our independent institutions As Donald Trump takes a wrecking ball to America's institutional framework, David Gwynn Morgan examines the independent institutions that keep Ireland ticking over

Prof Gwynn Morgan is always a must read on legal matters. www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Theresa Reidy: Presidential election fallout leaves many 'what ifs' The race for the Áras has seen political judgements questioned and party leaders scrutinised

Writing about the presidential election in @irishexaminer.bsky.social
The voting hasn’t happened yet but already the fallout within parties has started. Voters aren’t happy with the choice before them, and some party leaders will have a lot of explaining to do.

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Mokyr, Aghion and Howitt win 2025 Nobel economics prize Economists recognised for explaining concept and importance of innovation-driven economic growth

Mokyr, Aghion and Howitt win 2025 Nobel economics prize www.irishtimes.com/business/eco... >> Joel Mokyr did really important work on the Irish Famine and made a significant contribution to understanding its causes and impact.

Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections: A comprehensive series of articles on this topic

Writing about the presidential election in @irishexaminer.bsky.social today.

Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections: A comprehensive series of articles on this topic

I’m writing about why presidential elections are so unpleasant for the candidates in @irishexaminer.bsky.social today.

Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections: A comprehensive series of articles on this topic

Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Thanks a million Damien

I wonder if some are already in the system

2025 was all about cash payments but 2026 is much more focused on expanding services. The groundwork wasn’t sufficiently laid by the govt for the change of direction. And services are patchy in some places already, and voters don’t trust that improvements will happen.

Conversation about the budget has a peculiar parallel worlds feel. In convo with Claire Byrne this morning, caller after caller bemoaned the stinginess of the package which is at odds with the huge 9.4 BILLION spending increase. Tension is rooted in the welfare state model & voters' expectations.

Got the Heather Humphries election flyer this morning in the post and had the realisation that Jim Gavin’s literature will probably still have to be sent out for legal reasons. He is still a candidate. Can a candidate halt the circulation of their literature?

Presidential election strikes again: these elections should only be contested by our most eminent and politically experienced citizens. Every one else ends up bruised from a campaign that is unlike any other in its individual personal scrutiny. #Aras25

Nice evening to start the season in Thomond Park. Storm has passed over.

Presidential election campaigns are tests of endurance and discipline. Jim Gavin’s campaign is learning that today. With only three candidates, there is no space for any misstep. And as the campaign progresses, the chances of slip-ups only gets higher… #Aras25

And how many voters do you think understand what the industrial military complex is, and have views on it?
Because she never explained what it was.

Gerard Howlin: In a low-energy presidential debate, only one candidate lit a spark Jim Gavin sounded like he was reading from a PowerPoint, Heather Humphreys was lacklustre and Catherine Connolly had one big advantage

In a low-energy presidential debate, only one candidate lit a spark

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025... >>the best piece on the debate last night, Gerard Howlin analyses it perfectly.