Election 'golden opportunity' to co-opt women to councils
Source: RTE
See Her Elected, an initiative aimed at getting more women from rural Ireland into politics, has said the impending general election is a "golden opportunity" to increase female participation in local councils.
New research and analysis of recent local election results - carried out by See Her Elected - found a significant electoral advantage for sitting councillors, regardless of gender.
Its analysis found that in the 2024 local elections, 85% of sitting candidates were re-elected, securing 72% of council seats.
This success rate was consistent across genders, with 86% of female incumbents and 88% of male incumbents being re-elected. This suggests that voters prioritise incumbency over gender when making their choices.
The research found 68% of co-opted councillors who ran were successfully elected, significantly outperforming new candidates with a 19% success rate.
Read here the full article published by RTE on 27 October 2024.
Image by RTE
See Her Elected, an initiative aimed at getting more women from rural Ireland into politics, has said the impending general election is a "golden opportunity" to increase female participation in local councils.
New research and analysis of recent local election results - carried out by See Her Elected - found a significant electoral advantage for sitting councillors, regardless of gender.
Its analysis found that in the 2024 local elections, 85% of sitting candidates were re-elected, securing 72% of council seats.
This success rate was consistent across genders, with 86% of female incumbents and 88% of male incumbents being re-elected. This suggests that voters prioritise incumbency over gender when making their choices.
The research found 68% of co-opted councillors who ran were successfully elected, significantly outperforming new candidates with a 19% success rate.
Read here the full article published by RTE on 27 October 2024.
Image by RTE