GE204... On the Canvass....'The reception on the door this time around is a lot more positive'

With 30 candidates competing for seven seats across two constituencies, this week’s general election in Meath is set to be a keenly contested affair. However, behind every prospective TD is an army of volunteers who have spent the last few weeks knocking on doors, handing out leaflets and hanging up posters, often in testing conditions and all in the hope that their preferred candidate will claim a seat in the 34th Dáil.

Shane Price is one of the many people hitting the doorsteps to canvass for Helen McEntee. While the Castletown man is a member of Young Fine Gael, where he serves as the international secretary, and has a strong interest in politics. It's not something inherited from his parents but developed himself, as he identified with Fine Gael’s policies.

“I liked the way they were pro-business and pro-Europe,” says Shane, who works as an international money laundering analyst. “As it turns out, my grandparents were in Fine Gael, but I didn’t know about that until later, so it’s a happy coincidence.”

This is the second campaign that Shane has been a part of this year, having already canvassed for Fine Gael’s Ross Kelly in June’s local elections. However, despite the time-consuming nature, canvassing is something he really enjoys.

“I’ve been on the go for over a year, given that there were two elections this year. But when Helen asked me to be involved in this one, I said, of course, I’d love to help out. I work three days a week in Dublin, so the other two days I’m at home, I go out every evening as well as every weekend. I used to hate it, but it’s something I really enjoy. There’s a real buzz to it. I also think Helen is a great candidate. She’s done a lot of great work locally and at a national level in a very high-profile role. I’m glad to give up my time for her, as I really believe in what she stands for.”

Having canvassed in the general election of 2020, Shane says while some of the same issues persist, the mood is a lot brighter this time around.

“The reception on the door this time around is a lot more positive,” he said. “Last time it was in February after a prolonged period of cold, dark, miserable weather. This time, it was mild apart from a few days of frost last week. People still raise concerns about things like housing and other local issues, but in general, we’ve been well received.”

Despite knocking on hundreds of doors, Shane has received very little negative feedback.

“People are very civil on the door. If they don’t want to vote for us, they’ll more than likely just say ‘No, I’m not voting for you,’ so I just thank them for their time and walk away. I had one or two incidents where people were angry and shouty, but they’ve been largely fine. When you meet someone face to face, they’re less likely to give you abuse.”

Athboy’s Liz McCormack has been involved in Fianna Fáil for over 40 years and also served 10 years as a councillor on Meath County Council. Having seen a lot of changes in politics since she first set out, she has spent the last few weeks campaigning for Aisling Dempsey.

“I remember wearing a ‘Bring Back Jack’ t-shirt when I first started canvassing in the '70s, which shows how long I’ve been involved in the party. When I first set out, it was a two-and-a-half-party system where Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were the main parties, with Labour usually making up the other half. Back then, people knew their vote and you went to houses that you knew. But that changed when I canvassed for Noel Dempsey, as he asked us to go to every door, as a preference was important as well. It increased the workload, but it also reaped the rewards.”

Liz says that people still appreciate engaging with canvassers.

“I feel that people still value face-to-face interaction. Often, when we called around, we’ve been the only person who has bothered to call, which people really appreciate. It’s very important for the candidate to meet people on the doors. I don’t know how many more elections there will be a door-to-door canvass, but for this one, it is very much appreciated.”

Remote working has meant that calling door to door is still very effective in engaging with voters of all ages.

“When we call around, we often meet people who are working from home. We’re getting a broad age range on the doors. They might be on calls, but they still take the literature from you.

I’ve been out for the last several weeks, even before the election was called. We hit the rural areas first and the towns after. By the time the election comes around, we’ll have covered everywhere.”

Liz says she was glad to give her time to help Aisling get elected to the Dáil.

“I believe she is an excellent candidate, an excellent young lady, and I’m delighted to canvass with and for her.