Voting and elections in Ireland

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is responsible for the policy and laws about the conduct of elections and referendums and the registration of electors.

The department’s work involves:

• an ongoing review of electoral law
• legislating for changes, when recommended, to constituencies and local electoral areas
• the provision of information and advice to registration authorities (which maintain the registers of electors for each council), returning officers who are responsible for running elections) and the general public, including information on additional Supports for voters
• the publication of election results
• the verification and certification of any Irish statements of support for a European Citizens’ Initiative

The relevant constitutional and legislative provisions relating to electoral law are available on the Irish Statute Book website.

To be eligible to vote you must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily resident in Ireland.

Citizenship determines the electoral events at which a person may vote:

• Irish citizens can vote in Dáil, Local, European Parliament and Limerick mayoral elections, and Referendums
• British citizens can vote in Dáil, local and mayoral elections
• EU citizens can vote in European, local and mayoral elections
• all others can vote in local and mayoral elections only

The Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides for pre-registration for 16 and 17 year olds but they are not entitled to vote until they reach 18. When they turn 18 they are automatically added to the electoral register.

You can register to vote or check your voter registration details at www.checktheregister.ie

In Ireland, there are six different types of elections:

• Dáil (lower house of parliament) elections
• Seanad (upper house of parliament) elections
• Presidential elections
• Local elections
• European Parliament elections
• Limerick mayoral elections

Voting in elections is by secret ballot on the principle of proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies, each voter having a single transferable vote. Read further information on Ireland's PR-STV electoral system. At a presidential election, Ireland is a single constituency. Limerick City and County is a single constituency for a mayoral election.

The Constitution also proves for Constitutional and Ordinary referendums.

Arising from reforms made by the Electoral Reform Act 2022, all electors on Ireland’s islands vote on the same day as the mainland (10).

An Coimisiún Toghcháin is Ireland’s independent electoral commission. It is responsible for:

• explaining the subject matter of referendums
• reviewing Dáil and European Parliament constituencies and Local Electoral Area boundaries
• maintaining a Register of Political Parties
• conducting research into and advising Government on electoral matters
• promoting awareness of and participation in Ireland’s democratic processes
• reporting on the administration of electoral events

The Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides for the commission to also have responsibility for:

• regulating online political advertising, and
• protecting the integrity of elections and referendums against online misinformation, disinformation and manipulative or inauthentic behaviour

Visit An Coimisiún Toghcháin’s website.