Today is your chance to have your voice heard. Your vote is as important as every other person’s vote, even the President’s or the Taoiseach’s. For all the criticism we do or suggestions we make, if we don’t vote, we may as well have said nothing at all.

Use your vote wisely too. The balance of power will be decided by the last seats to be decided. And the last seats are decided by transfers. And everyone is usually eliminated by that time apart from 2 candidates. So no matter how far down the list, a 13 for candidate A is as good as a 1 if candidate B is 14th on the ballot.

Here is a sample Irish ballot paper with instructions from a TCD page