Barrister Maria Steen, who came within two votes of getting the nomination for inclusion in the race for the Áras, has said she is “very grateful and humbled” to voters who wrote her name on the ballot in the election, and that “lots of other issues” that had been referenced by those who spoiled their votes “should not be ignored”.
She said that people had gone to the trouble of getting out to vote and putting her name on the ballot , but added, “I don’t think the spoiled vote can be taken as a vote for me, there were lots of other issues that people mentioned on their ballot papers.”
An unprecedented total of 213,738 voters spoiled their ballots in what is a record-breaking protest vote. While many voters expressed frustration with immigration and the alleged sexual assault on a 10-year old girl by an asylum seeker in Citywest, observers at the county said that Mrs Steen’s name had been written on huge numbers of spoiled ballots. Other candidates such as Nick Delehanty and Gareth Sheridan were also referenced.
Many voters also expressed frustration at the lack of choice, with just two candidates left on the ballot after the political parties had blocked independent candidates and Fianna Fáil nominee, Jim Gavin, had dropped out of the race.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s This Week, Ms Steen, said the high volume of spoiled votes represents a “big rebuke to the political establishment, who sought to prevent any competition in this election”.
“It is clear that there are a lot of people in this country who feel unrepresented,” she said, adding that spoiled vote seemed to “cross the divide” of urban and rural, and working class and middle class.
“I think it’s time that the political establishment really woke and started listening to the people, and remember that they serve the people,” she said.
Ms Steen said that she “had nothing to do with the Spoil the Vote campaign at all”, explaining that because she was not a candidate, she felt “it wouldn’t be proper for me to call for any particular outcome”.
Independent TD Catherine Connolly was elected Ireland’s 10th president winning 63 per cent of the vote in a two horse race.
Writing in the Sunday Independent today, Ms Steen said that “the really big news story” regarding the election “lies elsewhere: a frustrated, furious, disenfranchised electorate.”
“The breakdown of the spoilt votes will be interesting to study, but early indications suggest broad-based dissent,” she wrote.
“While some ballot boxes in working-class areas had very high spoilt vote rates — with a few even topping the Connolly vote — the protest crossed many divides: urban and rural, working class and middle class,” she added.
Ms Steen has not ruled out running in future elections.
Today, Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State Timmy Dooley said he believed the ballot in the Presidential race was “far too narrow”, and that he believed changes should be made to the process whereby a nomination to run is secured.