Barrister Maria Steen has said she is "grateful and humbled" to those who wrote her name on the ballot as part of spoiled votes in the Presidential Election.
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Ms Steen said the high volume of spoiled votes represents a "big rebuke to the political establishment who sought to prevent any competition in this election".
"I think it is clear that there are a lot of people in this country who feel unrepresented."
She said the spoiled vote appears to "cross the divide" of urban and rural, and working class and middle class.
"I think it’s time that the political establishment really woke and started listening to the people, and remember that they serve the people," she said.
The Presidential Election saw a total of 213,738 invalid ballots., representing 13% of all votes cast.
In the previous presidential election, there were 18,438 invalid ballots.
"I am really very grateful and humbled to all the people who did that who went to the trouble of getting out to vote and putting my name on the ballot," she said.
However, Ms Steen said she did not think that the spoiled vote figure can be viewed as a vote for her.
"There were lots of other issues that people mentioned on their ballot papers, and they should not be ignored."
Last month, Ms Steen failed to secure enough support to get on the presidential ballot, securing 18 Oireachtas nominations when 20 were required.
Ms Steen said she was not part of the Spoil the Vote campaign.
One of the members of the Spoil the Vote campaign, businessman Declan Ganley, said at the campaign's launch that he would be writing "1 Maria Steen" on his ballot paper.
'National conversation' needed on blocking potential candidates
Ms Steen said the nominations process was not an issue in previous presidential elections, noting that 18 councils nominated candidates in the 2018 election.
"What changed was the attitude of the political parties, that decided to block."
She said the blocking of candidates through the council route was a political strategy that has "backfired".
Ms Steen said she was the only candidate to pursue both the council route and the Oireachtas nomination route as she wanted to "maximise" her chances.
She said there needs to be a "national conversation" regarding the blocking of potential presidential candidates.
"I heard Simon Harris making a comment that there were only two candidates on the ballot paper, as if he and others had nothing to do with that."
"I think there has to be some honesty from politicians," she added.
She said she would have to see the details regarding any potential referendum on changing rules surrounding presidential election candidates.
Need to examine rules surrounding presidential candidates - McDonald
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said there is a section of society who do not feel represented or heard.
"I will make it my job to talk to people, to listen to people and to hear deeper frustrations," she said.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Ms McDonald said rules surrounding securing a place on the presidential ballot will have to be looked at before the next presidential election.
"Unquestionably we are going to have to reexamine that," she said.
"There still has to be a reasonable threshold, but everybody has to feel that their view, their aspirations, are heard and represented in some way."
She said a decision by Fine Gael to "actively block others" from getting on the ticket was "ill conceived".
"I think it was a mistake and I think it backfired on them.
"I think there was a legitimate frustration that others that came and presented their case, that a party of Government or parties of Government stopped that in its tracks."
Ms McDonald also said people living in the north could not vote for president, nor could people living abroad, and these considerations would have to be examined.
"We can't tolerate a situation where big numbers of people feel astray or alienated from the system."
Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State Timmy Dooley said the ballot was "far too narrow", saying he believed changes should be made to the nomination process.
Labour Party TD Ciarán Ahern said that he did not think it should be made particularly easy for people to run for president as it is the highest office in the land.
"No one due to privilege or wealth should feel entitled to run just because they want to," he added.
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said that the spoiled votes is something that will have to be examined, listened to and reflected on.
