New Bill to regulate display of election posters will 'even the playing field' - Senator

The Green Party has launched a Bill to regulate the display of electoral posters during elections and referendums. 

According to Senator Pauline O'Reilly, the Regulation of Display of Electoral and Polling Posters and Other Advertisements Bill 2022 aims to cut waste and "even the playing field" for small party candidates. 

She said, "In Ireland, we see a huge number of posters at election time that clutter up our streets, block signs and cause hazards. This bill aims not only to make our streets safer and cut down on the huge amount of plastic waste, much of which ends up in landfill, but also to even the playing field for candidates running for office. 

"The cost of producing hundreds and hundreds of posters can be prohibitive for small parties and independent candidates and puts them at a disadvantage against larger parties. Restricting the number of posters and where they can be displayed offers every candidate a more equal opportunity to get their message across to voters." 

The Bill was introduced to the Seanad by Senator O'Reilly and her Green Party colleagues Senators Róisín Garvey and Vincent Martin. 

Its aims include ensuring advertising of candidates is cleaner, safer and less wasteful, ensuring it is fairer for independent candidates and small party candidates, and the regulation of the placement of posters to "designated areas" chosen by relevant Local Authorities. 

Today at 12.15pm, Senator @paulinegalway launches a Seanad Bill to regulate the placement of election and referenda posters to ‘designated areas’ chosen by the relevant Local Authority, a move that would make elections fairer and less wasteful.

Watch live https://t.co/zg2IQathJr pic.twitter.com/unqetAjJnf

— Green Party Ireland (@greenparty_ie) May 17, 2022

Senator Róisín Garvey said, "Communities and Tidy Town Committees across the country have long been calling for change on the practice of attaching election materials with plastic ties to every lamp post, road bridge and electricity pole. This Bill would instead establish ‘designated areas’ where election and referendum materials can be placed during an election or referendum.

"These areas would be established through regulation by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Local Authority would be given the task of establishing the designated areas across their constituency in areas of high footfall.” 

Senator Vincent P Martin added: "A large number of European countries already limit posters to designated areas, administered by their local authorities, and often dismantle the designated areas outside of election time. Such areas give equal space to each party, while still allowing citizens to familiarise themselves with the candidates and serving as reminders of the elections taking place.”