Did you know that you do not have to be an Irish citizen in order to vote in Ireland? Everyone over the age of 18 who is ordinarily resident in the State can register to vote. The type of election you can vote in is dependent on your nationality.
| Referendum | Presidential Election | General Election | Local Election | EU Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish nationals | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EU nationals | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| UK Nationals | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| All other nationalities | No | No | No | Yes | No |
How do I register to vote?
It is now easier than ever to register to vote in Ireland. You can register online at www.checktheregister.ie To register for the first time online, you will be asked for your personal details such as:
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Full name
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Date of Birth
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Your PPS Number
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Your Eircode
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A valid email address
Once you’ve received an email to say that the status of your request is complete, your new updated details should be available after 24 hours. If you see any mistakes or any of your details change eg new address, then you can update the details online.
Is there a form I can fill out instead of registering online?
Yes. You can ask someone to download the ERF1 form from www.checktheregister.ie or you ask at your local Citizens Information Centre.
Can I register to vote if I do not have a PPS number?
Yes you can register even if you do not have a PPS number. You will not be able to register online however. You will need to download the ERF1 form from www.checktheregister.ie and the form witnessed at a Garda Station or Local Authority. If you are unable to attend either of these for medical reasons, you may have the form witnessed by a registered medical practitioner. You will be asked by the witness to show your ID.
Is there a closing date to register to vote?
The register of elections is closed fifteen days before the vote takes place. Fifteen days does not include Sundays, public holidays and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday).
What information is available on the electoral register?
Once you have successfully registered, your details will be placed on the electoral register. The electoral register is a public document however access is generally limited and it is not intended for public browsing. Usually it is accessed for conducting research or verifying voter eligibility however only the following details are made available:
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Full name
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Address
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Constituency
Your PPS number or your date of birth or contact details will not be available.
If you believe that having your name and address available on the electoral register would be harmful to your safety or that of someone in your household you can apply to opt out of having your information included in the publicly available version of the register. You’ll need to complete the PV7 form which you can download from the www.checktheregister.ie website.
I've naturalised as an Irish citizen since I last voted. What should I do?
As an Irish citizen, you are now eligible to vote in more elections. You will need to update your nationality. You can do this by going to the Forms page of www.checktheregister.ie and printing off, completing and returning the ERF1 form. Printed forms are also available from your local authority.
You will also need to provide supporting documentation such as a photocopy of your passport or certificate of naturalisation.
I'm registered to vote. What do I do on election day?
On election day, go to your designated polling station
On election day, you'll need to vote at the designated polling station assigned to your address. This information is usually provided on your polling card, which you will receive in the post. If you didn't receive a polling card, don't worry; you can still vote by bringing a valid ID to your assigned polling station. You can check the location with your Local Authority.
At the polling station, an official known as a Returning Officer will give you a ballot paper and invite you to complete it at one of the booths. Pencils will be available at the polling station but you’re also free to bring your own pen or pencil with you. The ballot paper will have the list of candidates who are running for election. Their names will be displayed in alphabetical order and additional details like the logo of the political party they are a member of, and their photo will also be displayed.
You vote by ranking your preferences for the election candidates on the ballot paper.
Instead of just picking one candidate, you get to rank them in order of preference. You can say, "I really want Candidate A, but if they can't win, I'd be happy with Candidate D, and if not them, then Candidate C and then finally Candidate B is my least favourite."
To this you mark Candidate A as #1, Candidate D as #2, Candidate C as #3 and Candidate B as #4.
You can choose to rank each candidate on the ballot paper or you can stop at any point after you give your #1 preference. Remember to use numbers to show your preference and not tick marks or smiley faces. You might spoil your vote if you don’t fill it out properly.
If you make a mistake when you’re completing the ballot form, you can ask the Returning Officer for a new ballot paper. This is at their discretion.
When you’re happy with how you’ve filled out the ballot paper, you post it into the ballot box.
Your vote is secret. This means that you shouldn’t take a photo or a selfie with your ballot paper or anyone’s else ballot paper.
This project is part of the Building Communities Together project and is funded through the National Integration Fund, administered by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Understanding how votes are counted in Ireland
Ireland has an unusual system of voting. It’s called Proportional Representation with Single Transferable Vote or PR-STV. It helps to ensure that the diverse views in the constituency are reflected. It can often take over a week to finish counting all of the votes.
Step 1: The ballot boxes are securely stored and then brought to a counting centre for each constituency. The ballots are all mixed and are counted to see how many valid ballot papers there are. Spoilt ballot papers are set aside. The number of valid ballot papers determines how many votes the candidate needs to be elected, also known as a quota.
Step 2: Once the quota is calculated, the first round of counting begins. All the number one votes for each candidate are counted.
If any of the candidates get more votes than they need to be elected – known as a surplus, those extra votes aren’t wasted. They get transferred to the next choice on the voters ballot papers. So if your favourite candidate – Candidate A – has already won or has too many votes, your vote goes to your second choice – Candidate D.
If none of the candidates have enough votes to be elected, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes are transferred to the next choice on the voters’ ballot papers. In this case, if your favourite candidate – Candidate A – has the least votes of all of the candidates and is eliminated, your vote goes to your second choice – Candidate D.
Step 3: This process repeats until all of the seats are filled. Candidates with the most votes and transfers get in, and those with the fewest votes get eliminated until all the positions are filled.
