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#ge16

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The general election takes place this Friday in the Republic of Ireland, and while it might not seem quite as vital as last May's Marriage Equality referendum, in the context of the country's future it's hugely important that each voter has their say.

You've no doubt gotten up close and personal with some of the candidates in your area – by being bombarded with 2ft high images of their faces as you make your way home from work – but who exactly should you be giving your votes to?

With Ireland's proportional representation system, you not only pick your preferred candidate, but your second, third, fourth and even fifth most preferred candidates, if you feel like it. And when it comes to number crunching during the count, your number two vote could carry just as much weight as your number one

So it's very important to educate yourself before you head to the ballot box. But unless you're going to meet each candidate in your consituency in person, it's almost impossible to figure out who you match up with best, right?

Well, not quite. Thanks to the joys of the internet, there are actually some seriously simple ways to get informed…

1. Check out SmartVote
SmartVote.ie has done the hard work for you by polling countless candidates and their parties on issues like employment, health, public services and abortion. You're asked 30 questions on different issues, with the option to choose anything from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree' on each one. At the end, you can see which candidates' views most closely match with yours, as well as what you both agree on and what you differ on. So, so handy.

 

2. Try WhichCandidate
Kind of like a dating app for voters, WhichCandidate.ie asks you to select which issues are important to you (eg. budget, crime, health, housing) before asking your views on each selected issue. Again, you're told which candidates you have a 'good match' with, with a percentage from 1 – 100 per cent showing how closely your views align. Simple.

 

3. Follow the hashtags
Most candidates have personal Twitter accounts which they've been posting like mad from all month long. But you can also get a more objective view of the general landscape by following hashtags like #GE16, #vote2016, #CountUsIn and #MakeASmartVote. Plus, you're bound to come across a few gems, like this fan of Labour TD John Lyons who knitted him his very own mini-John…

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Finding The One can be a tough slog. As can finding The One You Want To Vote For.

Well, now you can combine those two searches (kinda) with one app – TDer. Like Tinder, you can swipe through profiles of different men and women looking to get your attention and fill your ears with sweet nothings.

Unlike Tinder, they don't want to date you. They just want your vote.

Okay, Irish digital agency Friday might have been having some cheeky fun when they invented TDer, with its Tinder-esque profile for each General Election candidate, but we reeeally wish it was real.

After all, who could say no to this beautiful face (and mountain of chest hair)?

Or Mr. Inda Kinny himself?

Joan also gets a look-in…

Oh, and she liked us back:

Gerry got his pet goat in for his profile pic…

And Lucinda's still looking for love…

Check out TDer yourself here, and who knows, you could find your (political) match.

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It'll be three weeks full of posters, flyers and knocks on the door for people in the Republic of Ireland, as Enda Kenny has confirmed the date of the next General Election for February 26.

The Taoiseach this morning visited Áras an Uachtaráin to request that the current Dáil be dissolved, the first step needed to start the process of a General Election.

Speaking to voters via a Twitter video, Kenny noted that the choice Irish people face now is "as stark as it is clear."

He added that the job of rebuilding the Republic of Ireland's post-recession economy was "not yet finished" and urged voters not to hand the country over to "those who wrecked our past or those who would wreck it in the future."

Fine Gael and Labour are seeking re-election as a coalition, with Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin both also vying for seats.

The three-week campaign will take place across 40 constituencies in the Republic of Ireland, with 158 seats available.

After being dissolved today, the Dáil will resume on March 10, once the new government has been voted in.

Check if you are on the register here.

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