Make your vote count
Polls will open next Thursday to decide who will be the ninth president of Ireland. As the latest poll indicates that the front runners are Cavan's very own Sean Gallagher (39%) and Michael D Higgins (27%), the signs are good for the Ballyhaise native. And given that Cavan doesn't have a minister at present, it would be a real boost to have a Cavan president.
But polls are just that... polls. And one must take them with a pinch of salt, particularly when another poll, just a week before, had put Gallagher at around the 20% mark and Higgins in the lead at 23%.
Nothing is certain until the votes are counted and some polls have been wildly out in the past.
Many voters have made the mistake in the past of saying "shir he (or she) doesn't need the votes, he's a shoe-in, I'll give the vote to someone else instead".
Several high profile politicians have lost their seats as a result over the years - look at Fianna Fáil whip Clifford Kelly in the last local elections or even Mary O'Rourke in the 2002 General Election or the fall of Michael McDowell in 2007. Although undoubtedly a backlash against the government parties of the day also contributed to these downfalls.
The trouble is that high profile candidates don't often do well when it comes to transfers.
And remember that a presidential election is very different with just one position up for grabs. The person who first reaches 50% of the valid votes, plus one, will be deemed elected. After each count, the candidate on the lowest vote is eliminated and the second preference votes on those ballot papers are distributed. This process continues until one candidate reaches the magic 50%, plus one.
Second and third preference votes, and the order in which candidates are eliminated, will play a huge part in determining who will get over the line first. As a result, any one of the top four candidates following the first count are in with a shot at winning.
So the advice is - in the first instance, find out a bit about the candidates and select who you think would be the best person to represent Ireland as president as we try to rebuild our confidence and our economy. Secondly, get out and use your vote.
Forget the polls or tactics, vote for your number one choice and distribute the rest of your preferences with the same honesty.
We are choosing our president for the next seven years and a lot can happen during that time, we owe it to ourselves to choose the best possible candidate who is in touch with the Irish people and can best represent us and help us to shape a bright future.
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