Ireland

Levels of government

The Commission’s how-to-vote page says proportional representation with the single transferable vote is used for general elections, local elections, European elections, presidential elections and mayoral elections. The same page says a referendum does not use that system.

The voter-eligibility page describes a separate, limited electorate for Seanad elections: graduates of named universities, members of the Dáil, outgoing members of the Seanad, and members of a county or city council. This site does not list those people.

Who can vote in a Dáil election

The general-elections page says a voter must be an Irish or British citizen, resident in Ireland, aged 18 or over on election day, and registered to vote. The eligibility page states the same three conditions for a general election.

The eligibility page gives different franchises for local elections, European Parliament elections, referendums and presidential elections. Those pages should be read for the election in question. This guide does not merge them into one rule.

Registration

The Commission says the register can be checked or updated at voter.ie, or by asking the local authority. The accessible-voting page says the Electoral Reform Act 2022 introduced a rolling register, so details can be updated through the year except in the immediate run-up to an electoral event. A cutoff counted in days was not copied, because a page stating that number was not read for this release.

How to vote

The how-to-vote page says the voter marks 1, then 2, 3 and so on, for as many or as few candidates as they wish, and that the first preference has to be 1 or the ballot is not counted. It says the ballot lists names in alphabetical order, with party emblems and photographs. This site does not reproduce those names or photographs.

The general-elections page says a polling information card is sent to the registered address and is not required at the station. It says the voter should bring identification, and it gives examples: a passport, a driving licence, a public services card, or an employee or student identity card with a photograph. It also says other forms are acceptable and points to a full list.

The register-to-vote page lists postal voting for members of An Garda Síochána, members of the Defence Forces, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses or partners, people who cannot vote in person because of illness or disability, electors whose occupation is likely to keep them from the station, full-time students registered at home and living elsewhere in the State, anonymous electors and members of a household whose safety would be at risk if the register published the address, and prisoners. The accessible-voting page says a Dáil postal application must be received two days after dissolution. It also describes a special voters’ list for voting in a hospital or nursing home.