THE long-awaited General Election will take place on 29 November, Taoiseach Simon Harris confirmed yesterday evening, after being scooped by Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
Harris said he will ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve the Dáil on Friday.
The General Election gives every Irish resident over the age of 18 the opportunity to make their voices heard, by way of voting for the candidates they they feel will represent their views and area appropriately within the Dáil.
In the words of the Electoral Commission: “Voting gives you an opportunity to be part of decision-making that affects your life and the future of Ireland. Your vote is your voice, if you don’t vote, others will make the decisions for you.
“To have your say on important issues by voting, you must be on the electoral register.”
To vote in the upcoming election on 29 November, you must be registered to vote no later than Tuesday next 12 November.
If your local authority does not get your form on time it can’t consider it for that election or referendum. Different deadlines apply if you wish to apply for a postal vote or to be added to the special voters list.
If an election is called with polling on 29 November, the deadline for voter registration or updates will be Tuesday 12 November.
— An Coimisiún Toghcháin, The Electoral Commission (@ElecCommIRL) November 6, 2024
Don’t delay register now!https://t.co/24oKOqUbZY #YourVoteYourVoice @Ireland_Votes pic.twitter.com/KqUeNVyiJy
If you have not previously registered, you can do so online, from here. You will need your PPS number and your Eircode. If you are aged 16 or 17, you can pre-register, so that your name will be placed on the electoral register when you turn 18.
From the above link, checktheregister.ie, you will be prompted to select your local council from a drop down list. If you select a Dublin council, you will redirected to voter.ie to register.
From there, you will fill in your PPS number, your date of birth, and your name. You will be asked to fill in your nationality to determine whether you are eligible to vote. You will also fill in your address, contact number, and email address.
A polling card will be sent to your home address before the date of the General Election.
If you have previously registered, but are now living at a different address, you can update your details here. You can change your address and polling station here.
This must also be done fifteen days prior to polling day.
However, if you are moving from Dublin to any county outside of Dublin, or moving to Dublin from any county outside of Dublin, you can only update your details or change your address using the ERF1 Form, available here. You can fill out this form and send to your relevant local authority who will process your application to update your details.
If you are a college student living away from home, you can register with either your home address of student residential address. If you are unable to return to your home address to vote, you can register to vote by post. You will need to fill out a separate set of forms, available here, to do so.
This must be filled out and returned to your local authority 2 days after the dissolution of the Dáil, at the latest.
A number of people are eligible to vote by postal voting, including students studying away from home, people with illnesses or disabilities, members of An Garda Síochána, people in prison, anonymous electors, full-time members of the Defence Forces, and Irish diplomats posted aboard, and their spouses.
For more information on voting, you can visit the Electoral Commission website.
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