Ever wondered how you could get into the Dail?

Well I did, and here is what I found out :)

To be eligible for membership of the Dáil:

• You must be a citizen of Ireland
• You must be over 21 years of age and
• You must not be disqualified from election to the Dáil

How do you become a Dáil candidate?

• In order to be nominated for membership of the Dáil, you may either nominate yourself or a Dáil elector may nominate you.
• You must complete a "nomination paper" and present it to the returning officer of the constituency in which you are standing.
• Candidates must either produce a Certificate of Party Affiliation or a document containing 30 signatures of registered voters.
• You must apply to the returning officer for your constituency who is either the County Sheriff or the County Registrar. Contact information for the returning officer for your constituency is available from the Franchise Section of your local authority.
  

But does it not cost money to put yourself forward for nomination?

• There is no longer a requirement to pay a deposit to be nominated for membership of the Dáil.
• As a candidate at a Dáil election, you are entitled to send one election letter free of postage charge to every elector in the constituency. If you are a member of a political party with another candidate in the constituency, you will only be allowed one election letter free of postage charge between you.

How could a candidate hope to go up against the politicial parties?
Constituency by constituency is the answer!!

• The 1997 Act sets down limits so that candidates are only allowed to spend a certain amount on elections. The maximum that a candidate can spend on a Dáil election is
  · €45,000 per candidate in a five-seat constituency
  · €37,650 per candidate in a four-seat constituency
  · €30,150 per candidate in a three-seat constituency
  The 1997 Act also created a system of reimbursement of election expenses. If a candidate received at least one-quarter of the quota of votes for the constituency in which he or she ran, he or she may apply for a reimbursement of up to €8,700 of his or her election expenses.

So there you have it folks when you are talking with your friends abou the current situation know that you can make a change! All it will cost you is 30 friends, and some time....think on this...!!!