A by-election is due to be held for the Seanad Cultural and Educational Panel in Ireland on 6 November 2026. The vacancy was caused by the election of Fine Gael's Seán Kyne to Dáil Éireann at the 2026 Galway West by-election.
Election system The electorate in by-elections to the vocational panels consists of Oireachtas members only. For this election, it will consist of 174 TDs and 59 senators. To be nominated, a candidate must be nominated by an approved nominating body for the Cultural and Educational Panel.
All votes are cast by postal ballot, and are counted using the single transferable vote. Under this system, voters can rank candidates in order of their preference, 1 as their first preference, 2 for second preference, and so on. Ballots are initially given a value of 1,000 to allow calculation of the quota (Droop quota) where all ballots are distributed in the case of a surplus.
Process and dates As a result of his election to the Dáil, Seán Kyne was deemed to have vacated his Seanad seat on 26 May 2026. A notice of the vacancy was sent to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 24 September 2026. The minister is required to make a Seanad by-election order within 180 days after receiving a notice of a vacancy. Minister James Browne will make an order for the by-election which will set the following dates: 6 October 2026: close of receiving nominations; 23 October 2026: issuing of ballot papers; 6 November 2026, at 11 a.m.: close of poll.
Candidates On 27 May 2026, the leaders of the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns, and the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik, wrote to other left wing parties and groups in the Oireachtas in the hopes of agreeing a Left Unity candidate as had been done in the 2025 presidential election.
Ray McAdam, a Dublin City Councillor and former Lord Mayor has been selected as the Fine Gael candidate.
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