Right to vote in Ireland

Information

If you have applied and been approved for Irish citizenship, you have the right to vote in all referenda and elections in Ireland. In order however to exercise that right, you must ensure that your name has been entered on the Electoral Register.

If you are resident in Ireland but not an Irish citizen, you also have the right to vote in some of the elections.

The Electoral Register

A new Electoral Register is compiled each year and is published on 1 November. Resident Irish citizens are entitled to vote at all elections and they are identified by the letter 'P' after their names on the register. Resident British citizens can vote in local, European and Dáil elections and are identified by the letter 'D'. Resident EU citizens can only vote in local and European elections and have a letter 'E' after their names. Those identified by the letter 'L' opposite their name (non-EU citizens) can only vote at local elections.

You can inspect the register or draft register during working hours at the offices of your local authority or county registrar and at public libraries, post offices and Garda stations. You can also check if you are registered by entering your details on the Register of Electors online enquiries website.

A draft register is compiled on 1 November each year. You have until 25 November to make a correction or have your name included. You may be asked for documents such as a birth certificate or a certificate of naturalisation in order to prove your eligibility to vote. The amended register is then published in February.

If you are qualified to vote but have missed the deadline to include your name on the register, you can apply to be included in a Supplement to the Register, which will allow you to vote at any election or referendum held during the year. You can apply for inclusion on the Supplemental Register at least 15 days before polling day (Sundays, public holidays and Good Friday are not counted as days for this purpose).

Who can vote in elections and referenda?

You must be at least 18 years of age on 15 February, the day the register comes into force.

While you may be entitled to register as a voter due to your residency, there may be a limit on the types of elections in which you can vote. The registration authority will need to know your citizenship because this will determine the elections at which you may vote.

The right to vote is as follows:

• Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum;
• British citizens may vote at Dáil elections, European elections and local elections;
• Other European Union (EU) citizens may vote at European and local elections
• Non-EU citizens may vote at local elections only.

You must be registered at one address only and you must live at that address on 1 September before the register comes into force. If you live away from the address at which you are registered, you will need to contact the registration authority and give them your new address.

If you leave your address but you plan to return there within 18 months, you can continue to be registered there, as long you do not register at any other address.

Overseas voters

If you are an Irish citizen living abroad you cannot be entered on the register of electors. This means that you cannot vote in an election or referendum here in Ireland. (The only exception to this is in the case of Irish officials on duty abroad (and their spouses) who may register on the postal voters list).

Postal voters

You will normally be required to vote in person at an official voting centre, however, you may be eligible for a postal vote if you are:

• A full-time member of the Defence Force
• A member of the Garda Siochana
• An Irish diplomat or his/her spouse posted abroad 

You may also be eligible for a postal vote if you cannot go to a polling station because:

• You have a physical illness or disability
• You are studying full time at an educational institution away from your home address where you are registered. 
• You are unable to vote at your polling station because of your occupation
• You are unable to vote at your polling station because you are in prison as a result of an order of a court. 

Applications for inclusion on the list of postal voters must be received by 25 November at the latest. If you are registered as a postal voter, you may vote by post only. You may not vote at a polling station.

You may also qualify to be on a list of special voters who live in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions and who wish to vote at these locations. Applications to be entered on the special voters list must be made by 25 November and, in the case of a first application, must be accompanied by a medical certificate.

How to apply

Application forms for inclusion on the Electoral Register, Special Voters List, Postal Voters List and Correction of the draft electoral register are available from all local authorities, post offices and public libraries.

Questions regarding your right to vote, should be addressed to the Franchise Section of your local authority.

There are various application forms for voting including

• Application form for inclusion on the Electoral Register (pdf) (must be completed by 25 November)
• Application form for inclusion on the Special Voters List (pdf)
• Application form for inclusion on the Postal Voters List if you are unable to vote due to physical illness or disability (pdf) (must be completed by 25 November)
• Application form for inclusion on the Postal Voters List if you are unable to vote due to your occupation (pdf) (must be completed by 25 November)

If you have changed address since the last election and wish to be included in the Supplement to the Electoral Register, you will need to complete a Change of Address form (pdf).