Dates for the upcoming Galway West by-election have been speculated by the Daily Mail to be either May 15 or May 22. We won't know the full list of candidates until the official date when nominations close; this date hasn't been announced yet, either, but many candidates from smaller parties and independent candidates have already declared themselves in the race for a much-needed head start.
Over the next two weeks, attention will turn to the three main parties, with Fine Gael’s selection convention to be held on Sunday, February 22, Sinn Fein’s to be held “in late February”, and no confirmed date from Fianna Fáil just yet.
Since May 2024, Galway West constituents have been flooded by elections. The doorbells and mail slots of Galway haven't had much time to recover since the presidential elections in October 2025, which triggered this by-election, as well as the general election of November 2024, and the local and European elections of May 2024.
As both a canvasser and resident of Galway West, I hope to help prepare my fellow constituents to make it through their fifth election in two years.
Residents
Spot opportunity, and hide the evidence. If you're a resident who enjoys visits from canvassers, be sure to have a fully functional doorbell and an easy-to-access postbox or mail slot.
Otherwise, if you are at least moderately annoyed by canvassers, be sure to have a doorbell that is impossible to find, a post box that doesn't open, or, alternatively, a mail slot that bites. Although for canvassers, where there's a will, there's a way.
Canvassers
Indicate early and track your candidate. When someone eventually opens their door instead of hiding behind their sofa, it's important to explain why you're there and who you're there for early. That way, you can just get a slammed door and be done with it.
Alternatively, this can create a sense of time urgency, increasing the likelihood of a straightforward interaction in which the canvasser takes the election literature you offer and says they will consider your candidate.
It's imperative that when on a canvas, you track the candidate’s movements. Oftentimes, residents want a chance to speak with their local representatives, and what better time than when they or their team have knocked on your door?
These conversations are often long, and so it can be quite easy to accidentally leave your candidate behind. Always be sure to keep track of the last door you had sight of your candidate on, and what time.
For all involved in the election
Enjoy the end. At the end of the day, only one candidate can be elected in May, which means more disappointment across the board. But regardless of what side of politics or success you stand on after the election, it's important to enjoy your next few years that will be without election interruption.
At least until summer 2029, right?
