Elections in Ireland
We have come across a lot of posts on Social Media about the upcoming local elections and referenda taking place on May the 24th this year. So we thought we’d put a post together to give you information on your rights.
We will elect 949 members to 31 local authorities across the country and 13 members to the European Parliament. We will elect 32 councillors in Waterford and 5 MEPs.
Voters in Limerick, Cork and Waterford will be asked in plebiscites if they wish to see legislation which would provide for directly elected mayors for their cities. There will also be a referendum on changing the constitutional arrangements for divorce held on the same day.
Where can I see if I’m registered?
If you check the register of electors you can see if you are registered or not.
http://www.checktheregister.ie/PublicPages/Default.aspx?uiLang=
Tuesday the 7th of May is the closing date for your Local Authority to receive an application for entry to the Supplement to the register of electors for the European Parliament election and local elections.
Where do I find information on the Divorce Referendum?
Here is a link for all the information you need from Referendum Commission of Ireland https://www.refcom.ie/docs/Guide-to-the-referendum-on-the-regulation-of-divorce.pdf
Where do I find out about the plebiscite for a Directly Elected Mayor?
There is a new website set up that will show you what you are voting for https://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/governance/plebiscites-directly-elected-mayors
Where do I find out about the European Parliament Elections?
For more on the European elections and the candidates in your area see http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ireland/en/european-elections
How many seats are there on Waterford Council and how are they broken down?
WATERFORD CITY & COUNTY COUNCIL
Local Electoral Areas:
Waterford City East (6)
Waterford City West (6)
Waterford City South (6)
Portlaw-Kilmacthomas(5)
Dungarvan (6)
Lismore (3)
Who is running for election in Waterford?
There isn’t a complete list of nominations yet as the closing date for nominations is 12 noon on the 4th day of May, 2019.
Here is a map of the electoral area in Waterford for the Local Elections
http://waterfordcouncil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/StoryMapBasic/index.html?appid=75ce62b1fe474226b7fd7b4fbb907f25
There has been a change in the location of some of the Polling Stations in Waterford. For more information see
https://waterfordcouncilnews.com/2019/03/28/local-elections-2019-change-of-polling-station-locations/
So who can vote?
You must be at least 18 years of age on 15 February, the day the Register of Electors comes into force. You must also have been ordinarily resident in the State on 1 September in the year before the Register comes into force.
The categories of voters and their voting rights are:
- Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum
- British citizens (identified by the letter ‘D’ on the Register) may vote at Dáil elections, European elections and local elections
- Other European Union (EU) citizens (identified by the letter ‘E’ on the Register) may vote at European and local elections*
- Non-EU citizens (identified by the letter ‘L’ on the Register) may vote at local elections only.
*If you are an EU citizen, other than an Irish or British citizen, and you were not registered to vote in previous European elections in Ireland, you must also complete a declaration on Form EP1, to guard against double voting in the election. The local authority will register you to vote in your local constituency and send the information in your declaration to your home EU member state. You can also get the form from your local authority.
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 local 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.
