<\/p>\n There has been a complete failure of the political establishment to give people the most basic of needs – that was the key issue for them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cAnd I think that our policies, our vision for housing, our ambition for housing has clearly connected with young people.\u201d The most recent MRBI exit poll, found that Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s support polled highest among 18-34-year-olds.<\/p>\n Sinn F\u00e9in won 31.8% support in the 18 – 24-year-old age group compared to Fine Gael\u2019s 15.5%, the Green Party\u2019s 14.4% and Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s 13.6%.<\/p>\n Sinn F\u00e9in also topped the poll among 25 – 34-year-olds with 31.7%, Fine Gael had 17.3% and Fianna F\u00e1il had 15.2%.<\/p>\n In fact, Sinn F\u00e9in was the most popular party among every age group up to 65.<\/p>\n Mr \u00d3 Laoghaire said that the poll indicates that their policies connect with the Irish electorate across the board.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that the exit poll suggests that we have support across a broad range of age categories and I would say that as a whole, this sends a message to the political establishment that the old style of politics is no longer satisfactory to well over half the electorate and that there is a need now for significant change.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they heard Mary Lou, Eoin \u00d3 Broin, Pearse Doherty and many others outlining Sinn Fein\u2019s vision for them to be able to have their own home, to be able to have quality healthcare, affordable childcare, I think that registered with people and people gave us their support.”<\/p>\n Sinn F\u00e9in may be the story of this election, returning its best performance in Cork since 1920, topping the poll in both city constituencies, but it did not run enough candidates to really translate its unexpected popularity surge into seats.<\/p>\n And despite the shift away from the binary voter allegiances to Fine Gael or Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael still topped the exit poll – just – with 22.4% compared to Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s 22.3% and Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s 22.2%.<\/p>\n Leo Varadkar, the youngest Taoiseach ever in the State who took office at 38 – was flanked in government by other young TDs including European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee 33, Health Minister Simon Harris, 33, and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, 37, who recently found renting a home in Dublin a challenge himself.<\/p>\n Varadkar\u2019s government introduced some major constitutional changes that proved popular with young voters, liberating our society from the rusting shackles of a Theocratic past.<\/p>\n But Fine Gael\u2019s campaign, which focused mostly on Brexit and its fiscal responsibility, failed to fully resonate with young people struggling to find a place to live, pay for childcare or access adequate health care.<\/p>\n When people were asked in the exit poll which issue was most important to them when deciding how to vote, only 1% mentioned Brexit while 32% said health, 26% said housing\/homelessness, 8% said the pension age, 6% said climate change and 6% said jobs.<\/p>\n The Green Wave looked set to return seats in Dublin but struggled in much of the country, despite the party\u2019s youth appeal.<\/p>\n Lorna Bogue, 28, Green Party councillor in Cork South Central who contested the general election said that no one party was responsible for galvanising the youth vote.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone party can take credit for the youth surge.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Union of Students and an organisation called Cork Votes drove the youth vote in Cork. And Fridays for Future have organised themselves around the elections. So the youth are really driving this themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd whether they\u2019re voting Green, Sinn F\u00e9in, Social Democrat, Labour or PBP, they\u2019re all voting left and they\u2019re voting for change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m 28 and I\u2019ll never afford a mortgage, I\u2019m renting in Cork facing the constant danger of eviction. Housing is a real issue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/figure>\n “Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael are not appealing to the under-35s and that\u2019s a problem for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Bogue said that Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s surge in the polls is partly due to a higher turnout than at the local elections. She said that the green vote has actually held stable since the last election – not declined as the Sinn F\u00e9in surge may suggest.<\/p>\n Sinead Halpin, 36, of the Social Democrats, believes that the voting age should be lowered to 16 and an electoral commission should be a priority for the next D\u00e1il to mobilise the youth vote.<\/p>\n She said that the gap between CSO figures for those over 18 in her constituency and those on the electoral register is sizeable and she wants to change that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make voting more accessible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are extremely strict rules around postal votes and absentee voting – that needs to be looked at in far more detail.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were waiting on a report before the dissolution of this D\u00e1il – the third report on an electoral commission in 20 years – which was not acted on.<\/p>\n \u201cSetting up an electoral commission should be a priority for the new D\u00e1il – to get it sorted and over the line – because our register is all over the place. People don\u2019t know whether they\u2019re registered or not, and some people are registered in a number of places. Some councils are better at managing it than others so there\u2019s no consistency there.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Halpin said that a focus for her this year will be helping more young people in her constituency register to vote.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at the number of people who turn 18 and how many registered voters there are in the area there\u2019s often a huge gap especially in some parts of my constituency like Guarranabraher and Hollyhill. So I\u2019ll be standing outside SuperValu with loads of forms encouraging people to register this year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people use the phrase \u2018I\u2019m not into politics.\u2019 But politics is everything around you.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you can\u2019t find somewhere to live, or you can\u2019t get affordable childcare, or find suitable schools for your children, then you realise that that is politics.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s not just a problem that\u2019s a standalone issue but a national issue driven by active engagement – or by a lack of active engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Liz](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/remote\/media.central.ie\/media\/images\/d\/DonnchadhOLaoghaireElection2020b_large.jpg?width=648&s=ie-980708\")
<\/p>\n![\"Fine](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/remote\/media.central.ie\/media\/images\/e\/Election2020FineGaelTaoiseachLeoVaradkarArriving9Feb2020_large.jpg?width=648&s=ie-980708\")