Social:Vote Left, Transfer Left

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Short description: Political phrase in Irish politics

Template:Use dmy Vote Left, Transfer Left is a political phrase in Irish politics which gained prominence during the 2020 Irish general election and has been used thereafter. It encourages shared support among left-wing political parties via the single transferable vote electoral system.[1] In some cases, it has been codified into a formal electoral pact between candidates.

Background

The 2020 general election, "Vote Left, Transfer Left" was discussed among voters of Sinn Féin, the Green Party, People Before Profit, Social Democrats and independent candidates.[2][3] The pact encourages left-wing voters to transfer their votes to other left-wing parties.[4] There was evidence of such transfers in counts for the 2024 general election.[5] People Before Profit openly endorsed the pact in their manifesto.[6] The vote transfers had evidently increased since the 2016 general election.[7] Following the 2025 presidential election, debate of a pact emerged for the next general election.[8]

In May 2026, Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats, ruled out any formal left-wing alliance ahead of the next general election.[9]

2026 by-elections

A "Vote Left, Transfer Left" pact was used in the 2026 Galway West by-election. Following the election of Catherine Connolly as president of Ireland, a new Galway-based political group called Tonn na Clé (Left Wave) began promoting a "vote left, transfer left" pact.[10] In March 2026, it was reported that six candidates in Galway West proposed to agree a "Vote Left, Transfer Left" pact.[11][12]

It was promoted by the People Before Profit candidate in the 2026 Dublin Central by-election.[13] Five candidates attended Connigh Clé (Keep Left) events and endorsed the idea of a transfer pact but fell short of agreeing to a formal pact as had been done in Galway.[14]

Following the by-election results, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns celebrated the strength of the pact in the by-elections and endorsed the idea of similar pacts in future elections.[15][16][17]

References

  1. ↑ Burne, Louise (2024-05-01). "People Before Profit call for 'vote left transfer left' pact but excludes Labour" (in en). https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/people-before-profit-call-vote-32715934. 
  2. ↑ "Vote Left, Transfer Left?". https://cym.ie/vote-left-transfer-left/. 
  3. ↑ "Transfers - success of ‘vote left, transfer left’" (in en). 2020-02-19. https://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/transfers-success-of-vote-left-transfer-left-8099738. 
  4. ↑ "Post-Connolly alliance seeks long-term change to left-wing politics" (in en). https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/01/05/post-connolly-alliance-seeks-long-term-change-to-left-wing-politics/. 
  5. ↑ Müller, Stefan (2024-11-17). "The Poll of Polls and transfer patterns" (in en). RTÉ News. https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/1117/1481347-poll-of-polls-general-election-2024/. 
  6. ↑ "People Before Profit call on ‘all parties of the Left’ not to prop up Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil in next government" (in en). Irish Independent. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/elections-2024/people-before-profit-call-on-all-parties-of-the-left-not-to-prop-up-fine-gael-or-fianna-fail-in-next-government/a997517396.html. 
  7. ↑ Projections, Irish Election (2021-04-05). "The Impact of ‘Vote Left Transfer Left’ in GE2020" (in en). https://irishelectionprojections.com/2021/04/05/the-impact-of-vote-left-transfer-left-in-ge2020/. 
  8. ↑ Heston, Joseph (2026-01-28). "The arrival of a ‘United Left’ in Irish politics is not a foregone conclusion" (in en-US). https://www.trinitynews.ie/2026/01/a-united-left-in-irish-politics-is-not-guaranteed/. 
  9. ↑ Moloney, Aisling (2026-05-31). "Soc Dems leader Holly Cairns rules out formal left-wing alliance" (in en). https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/soc-dems-leader-holly-cairns-rules-out-formal-left-wing-alliance/a/153490971.html. 
  10. ↑ Cullen, Róisín (22 March 2026). "Left wave looking to beat Govt in Galway West by-election". http://www.rte.ie/news/analysis-and-comment/2026/0322/1564554-galwaywest-byelection/. 
  11. ↑ "United Left Emerged in Galway West Bye-Election" (in en-US). https://universitytimes.ie/2026/04/title-united-left-emerged-in-galway-west-bye-election/. 
  12. ↑ Kelly, Maxim (26 March 2026). "Six candidates agree historic election pact". Galway Advertiser. https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/150118/six-candidates-agree-historic-election-pact. 
  13. ↑ Ceannabháin, Eoghan Ó (2026-03-13). "'Dublin Central left win could help end century of FF and FG government'" (in en). https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/news-opinion/a-left-win-dublin-central-33587775. 
  14. ↑ Matthews, Jane (24 April 2026). "Candidates call for left transfer pact as Dublin Central competition gets off to friendly start". The Journal.ie. https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-central-by-election-7022100-Apr2026/. 
  15. ↑ Ryan, Órla (25 May 2026). "Left-wing Irish government ‘within touching distance’, says Holly Cairns". The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/05/25/left-wing-irish-government-within-touching-distance-says-holly-cairns/. 
  16. ↑ Moore, Jane (24 May 2026). "Sinn Féin 'at a crossroads' and 'need to figure out where they're going', Holly Cairns says". The Journal.ie. https://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-fein-crossroads-holly-cairns-mary-lou-mcdonald-7050133-May2026/. 
  17. ↑ Ní Aodha, Gráinne (24 May 2026). "Opposition parties question ‘mixed message’ from Sinn Fein after by-elections". Belfast Telegraph. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/opposition-parties-question-mixed-message-from-sinn-fein-after-by-elections/a/153029775.html. 

See also



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