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Where and how to vote?
Primary method: Most voters have to vote in person at an official voting centre.
The following categories of voter may be eligible for a postal vote:
- Irish diplomats posted abroad, or their spouse or civil partner who are living abroad with them;
- full-time members of the Defence Forces;
- member of the Garda Síochána (police);
- Individuals satisfying one of the following conditions:
- those having an illness or disability;
- those studying full time at an educational institution in Ireland, which is away from their home address where they are registered;those unable to vote at their local polling station because of their occupation, service or employment;those unable to vote at their polling station because they are in prison;
- those registered as anonymous electors, or members of their household.
People who are eligible to vote by post must apply to do so and ensure their application is received at least 22 days before election day. People living in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution may choose to vote at these locations. People wanting to be entered on this special voters list, must ensure their application is received at least 22 days before election day and include a medical certificate with their application.
If an individual is concerned that having their details available for inspection on the register of electors would put them in danger, then can apply to be an anonymous elector
Voting in person takes place at designated polling stations, which are usually schools or other public buildings. A polling card will be sent to each voter at their home before election day which indicates where each voter can vote. Voters will be required to prove their identity, using an acceptable document such as a passport or national identity card, driving licence, a workplace identity card bearing photograph, a student identity card bearing a photograph, a public services card, a bank or credit union account book bearing the voter’s name and address in the constituency.
Who can vote?
An individual must meet the following requirements to vote in EP elections in Ireland:
- be an Irish citizen or a citizen of another EU Member State;
- be at least 18 years of age on election day; and
- be registered to vote (listed in the register of electors).
Mobile EU citizens. EU citizens must be ordinarily resident in Ireland in order to vote there.
Registration requirements.
- Irish nationals can register to vote and change/update the register online at www.checktheregister.ie or download and complete a registration form and mail it to their local authority. Ireland does not give its nationals living abroad the possibility of voting in EP elections from abroad.
Mobile EU citizens. Nationals of other EU Member States can also register to vote in the same way as Irish nationals.
Registering online to vote requires a Public Personal Service (“PPS”) number and a residential address in Ireland.
An application for a PPS Number can be made online at this link: https://www.mywelfare.ie.
Individuals without a fixed address or a PPS number can register to vote using a paper application form. The form and individual’s ID must be witnessed at a local Garda (police) station.
The various application forms can be found online: https://www.checktheregister.ie/en-IE/forms EU citizens registering to vote in Ireland for the first time must also complete a declaration on form EP1 to confirm they will not vote in their home Member State (https://sdcc.ie/en/download-it/apply-for-it/form-ep1-statutory-declaration-english.pdf).
Exclusions
Ireland does not place restrictions on voting by a person convicted of a criminal offence. There are no restrictions on the right to vote for people with disabilities.