SO - now we know. The general election has been called, and voting will taking place on Friday the 26th of this month.
That means the clock is now ticking - and if you're not already registered to vote, you don't have much time left to get your affairs in order.
The easiest way to find out if you're already registered is to simply visit www.CheckTheRegister.ie - but it's important to remember that even if you ARE actually registered to vote, you might not appear on the site.
This is because many of the online databases behind CheckTheRegister are only updated once per year – when the annual register is published on February 15th.
This means if you changed your details on the register since last year – including the 70,000-or-so people who registered for the first time in the run-up to the Marriage Referendum last May – you probably won’t appear on the CheckTheRegister website, but you should still actually be registered.
(If you want to double-check this, you should call your local County or City Council and ask for the ‘Franchise Section’. They’ll be able to check the most recent records and ought to be able to tell you, over the phone, whether you’re fully registered or not.)
Getting registered to vote
If you know you’re not registered – or if your details are old and need updating – it’s now time to get your arrangements made now so that you’re registered to vote when the election arrives.
While polling day isn’t confirmed, it’s likely to be February 26th – meaning you should start arranging things now.
- If you’re not already on the register you’ll have to register with your local county/city council before Tuesday 9th February. You’ll need to get form RFA2 – download it, print it, fill it out, bring it to a Garda station to have it witnessed, and send it to your council before the deadline.
- If you’re on the register but need to change your personal details (if you’ve moved house, or have changed your name) ytou should get form RFA3 – again: download it, print it, fill it out, bring it to a Garda station to have it witnessed, and send it to your council before February 9th. If you’ve moved to a new constituency you should send this form to your new county/city council – they’ll contact your old one and get your old details removed.
Postal votes
If you’re hoping for a postal vote, you should first bear in mind that there’s only limited circumstances in which you’re allowed to have one. Postal votes are usually only available if you’re in the Gardaí or Defence Forces, if you’re in prison, if you’re a diplomat based abroad (or married to one).
However, they’re also available if you can prove you’ll be away from home for work on the day of polling, or if you’re a full-time student at an educational institution away from home (i.e. you’re in university, college or boarding school), you’re still allowed a vote.
But that’s where time is of the essence – if you need a postal vote, you have to register for it with your county/city council within two days of the election being called. Given the election will be called tomorrow, this means you only have until Friday to arrange a postal vote.
If you plan on using a postal vote you’ll need to have a signed letter from your employer (or a stamped form from your college/school), and a completed application form, sent back within just two days of the election being called.
More details on this are available from the website of your local county/city council - or, again, by calling them up and asking to speak to the Franchise Section.
