Unsung Feats

Smaller Felted Shoulder Bag in Donegal Aran Tweed

from Contemporary Irish Designs by Carol Feller

…handle and lining in leather

This is another product of watching the recent election count, and another minor ode in praise of the quiet heroes and heroines who perform vital work for general benefit... 

We vote by proportional representation in Ireland, and registered citizens vote down a list of candidates in order of their choice for as many or few candidates as they choose.

From the total number of voters on the day, a quota is derived, and on reaching that quota a candidate is elected.  That candidate’s surplus is divided on the basis of next preference down until all votes are counted and all seats filled.   The idea is that every single vote is used once, and so everyone who votes has a practical say in the outcome.

The count is laborious and results can take a long time to materialise, and if only a few votes separate a winner from a loser, there are recounts. On the morning of the count the boxes are opened, votes emptied out and sorted by the official counters, and behind them stand partisan tally people. They are there to observe, but also cooperate across party lines to form fairly accurate predictions on sight of the votes.  Good tallying is highly skilled and involves local knowledge of potential transfer trends - for instance, voters from a particular area who give first preference to "x", may unexpectedly transfer their second preference to "Z" for entirely local reasons that may not be immediately apparent on an ideological basis.  This all calls for intense scrutiny, concentration and endurance, and although performed voluntarily, candidates and journalists depend heavily on the tally for a proper read of the unfolding information.

There are always many big personal stories on election day, but I thought I would explain exactly what kind of trooper my daughter is – last week she was adding and collating the tally at one of the large count centres in Dublin, having arrived with every good reason to hope that her own employer – a very worthy candidate – might be elected.  It became clear within the first hour that on this occasion this would not happen - meaning not just disappointment that sincere effort hadn't immediately paid off at this ballot, but also that my daughter was out of a job.  Notwithstanding which, she continued tallying without a murmur for the whole day - I think that's impressive.