Am I on the Electoral Register?
Check the Electoral Register online at www.checktheregister.ie
Alternatively you can view a copy of the Electoral Register at your local post office, Garda station, library or at the council offices during opening hours or simply by e-mailing the Franchise section of the registration authority at register@kildarecoco.ie or phone 045 980201.
I cannot find myself on www.checktheregister.ie does this mean that I am not registered?
Not necessarily. There can be a number of reasons why you cannot find your details on www.checktheregister.ie
For example, if your details have changed, and you have not updated them with the registration authority. In this instance you may have been deleted from the register if the registration authority could not establish your correct details or you may still be on the register at a different address or under a different name. Also, you may not be able to find yourself on the Register if your personal details was input on the Register in a different format to that by which you are entering to search online examples of this include hyphens, apostrophes, spaces etc.,
You should contact the registration authority by e-mail at register@kildarecoco.ie or phone 045 980201 to clarify.
I thought I would be automatically registered?
No. Every individual is responsible for ensuring that they are added to the Electoral Register by completing and submitting the relevant documentation to their local authority.
Can I register online?
There is currently no system to facilitate online registration.
How do I register to vote?
To be included in the Draft Register that will be published on 1st November of the current year and come into force on 15th February of next year, you must complete the RFA form and include all members of your household that will be 18 or over on the day the next Register comes into force. Forms are also available at the council offices, your local library, post office and Garda station.
Where do I return the completed registration form to?
Kildare County Council is the registration authority for the county of Kildare. Completed forms should be posted to Franchise Section, Kildare County Council, Aras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare W91 X77F.
Kildare County Council will accept scanned legible completed forms by e-mail to register@kildarecoco.ie
If my name is not on the register, as published on 1 February, have I lost my right to vote for the next twelve months?
No - you can apply to go onto the Supplement to the Register of Electors up to approximately 17 days (excluding Sundays and Bank Holidays) before polling day in an election or referendum.
- If your name does not appear on the current register at any address in the state, you should complete the RFA2 form and submit it to the Franchise section of your local authority.
- If you reach the age of 18 years during the period between the register coming into force and polling day, you may also apply to go on the supplement using the RFA2 form.
- If you registered at a particular address, in the state but have moved in the interim and now wish to vote from your new address (provided it involves a change of constituency), you should complete the RFA3 form and submit it.
I will be 18 years of age after the Register comes into force on 15th February but before Polling Day – can I be included on the Register?
If you reach the age of 18 years during the period between the register coming into force and polling day, you may also apply to go on the supplement using the RFA2 form.
What is the Supplement to the Register?
The supplement to the register is compiled in advance of an election/referendum. It contains the names of electors omitted from the Final Register published on 1st February, also of electors who have changed residence or electors who have turned 18 since the date of publication.
What are the criteria for a Supplement to the Register application form?
To be included in the supplement, you must be:
- 18 years of age or over on or before polling day.
- Ordinarily resident at the address at which you wish to be registered.
and_
- Not already registered as an elector – except in the case of a change of address (RFA3 form required for this purpose) or a change in voter status having acquired Irish citizenship (RFA5 form required for this purpose).
The completed form is to be returned to the registration authority before the advertised deadline in advance of an election/referendum, generally no later than 14 days before polling day (excluding Sundays, Public Holidays and Good Friday) to be eligible to vote in the forthcoming election/referendum.
You must have the supplement application form witnessed and stamped at your local Garda station prior to submitting it to the registration authority. If there is reason you cannot attend at your local Garda station then a Council Official may witness and sign your application, alternatively the completed form may be submitted with a medical certificate if the person due to physical illness/disability is unable to attend either Garda station or their local authority office. Please take care to read the notes that accompany all application forms.
What is the closing date for receipt of Supplement to the Register application forms?
The completed form is to be returned to the registration authority before the advertised deadline in advance of an election/referendum, generally no later than 14 days before polling day (excluding Sundays, Public Holidays and Good Friday) to be eligible to vote in the forthcoming election/referendum.
I applied to be included on the Supplement to the Register but cannot see myself online?
The Supplement is only put up online after the closing date for inclusion.
How is the Register compiled?
A Draft Register is published on 1st November of each year and put on public display in local authority offices, post offices, libraries and Garda stations. You should check the Draft Register to ensure your details are correct. If any amendment is required to your details you must submit a request ("A Claim for Correction") to the local authority by 25th November. An application form RFA1 for this purpose is available at the same locations as where the Draft is on display. All such requests are adjudicated upon by the County Registrar and the Draft Register updated with those that are allowed. The Register of Electors is published on 1st February of each year and comes into force on the 15th February.
What is the Edited Register?
The edited Register contains only the names of persons who have no objection to their details being used for purposes other than an electoral or other statutory purpose. The statutory position since 1 November 2004 is that it is an offence to use details on Live Register for anything other than an electoral or other statutory purpose.
Who is entitled to be registered?
Every resident aged 18 and upwards is entitled to be on the Register.
What are the conditions of registration?
Age: a person must be at least 18 years of age on the day the register comes into force (15th February).
Citizenship: While every adult resident is entitled to be registered, the registration authority needs to know a person’s citizenship because it is the citizenship that determines the elections at which a person may vote. The qualifying date for citizenship is the 1st September preceding the coming into force of the register (15th February). The right to vote is as follows:
Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum.
British citizens may vote at Dáil, European and local elections.
Other EU citizens may vote at European and local elections.
Non-EU citizens may vote at local elections only.
Residence: a person must be ordinarily resident at the address in question on 1st September preceding the coming into force of the resister. A person may be registered at one address only. If a person has more than one address (e.g. a person living away from home to attend college), the registration authority should be informed of the address at which the person wishes to be registered.
A person who leaves his/her ordinary residence with the intention of returning there within eighteen months can continue to be registered there, subject to the over-riding condition that a person may be registered at one address only. A person who is absent on a temporary basis from his/her address, for example on holiday, in hospital or in the course of employment, should be registered at his/her ordinary address. A visitor or person staying temporarily at the address should not be registered.
Do you have to be Irish to Register?
No. Every resident aged 18 and upwards is entitled to be on the Register. (See, what are the conditions of registration?)
How do I know what election or referendum I am entitled to vote in?
Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum.
British citizens may vote at Dáil, European and local elections.
Other EU citizens may vote at European and local elections.
Non-EU citizens may vote at local elections only.
(See, What are the conditions of registration?)
How do I update/amend my details on the Electoral Register?
A form RFA1 must be completed and returned to the registration authority to amend or change your details. As the Electoral Register is only published once every year (1st February), the changes to your details will be published on the Draft Electoral Register. The Draft Electoral Register is published on 1st November and copies are made available to the public to check that their details are correct for publishing on the Live Register that will be published on 1st February in the following year. (See, How is the Register Compiled?).
I am on the Electoral Register, but I have since become an Irish citizen, how do I update my details?
You should complete the RFA 5 form and attach evidence of your Irish citizenship, for example a copy of your Certificate of Naturalisation or of the relevant page in your Irish passport. You are required to attend at your local Garda station to have the completed RFA 5 form witnessed and stamped prior to submitting it to the registration authority.
I have changed address but have not updated my details on the current Electoral Register and an Election/Referendum is called can I vote at my new address?
Firstly, check with the relevant registration authority if you are still on their Electoral Register. If you are, then complete form RFA3 and return it to the registration authority to which you wish to be removed from. The registration authority will delete you from their Electoral Register then forward your form to the registration authority in the county in which you now reside.
If your address change is within the same county, then still complete form RFA3 and return it to the registration authority. In the instance where your address change is within the same electoral area, the registration authority will contact you to advise you to continue to vote at the polling station where you are currently registered.
If you have been removed from the Electoral Register because the registration authority could not establish your correct details due to your change of address, then you should complete form RFA2 to re-register.
Can I be registered with more than one Local Authority?
No. A person may only vote once and, therefore, a name should only appear once on a Register of Electors. You must decide where you want to be registered - e.g. if you are living in a flat/apartment in Dublin and "come home" for the weekend, you must decide whether to be registered at your weekday or weekend address. (See, what are the conditions of registration?)
I did not receive my Polling Card – can I vote without it?
The Polling Card is only for information purposes, it tells you the date and time of voting and the polling station to attend. It does not confer any right to vote nor can you be prevented from voting solely because the card does not arrive, or you have misplaced it. The criterium for being allowed to vote is that you are entered on the current register of electors or the supplement to same. All electors, whether they have received a polling information card, or not, should bring photographic ID with you e.g. Passport, Drivers Licence, Bus Pass or Work ID.
What if I cannot get to the Polling Station?
Certain categories of person (listed below) can apply to be entered on the special or postal voters list. The various forms are available on our website at http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/Forms/RegisterofElectors/ your local post office, library, Garda station or they can be requested from our Franchise Section by e-mailing register@kildarecoco.ie or phone 045 980201.
- If you are resident in a hospital/nursing home and are likely to remain so for the duration of the register, you may apply to go on a Special Voters List. Form SV1 must be completed for this purpose.
- If you are housebound, whether due to age or disability, and are likely to remain so for the duration of the register, you can apply for entry on the Postal Voters List. Form PV1 must be completed for this purpose.
- If the nature of your job means that you may not be at home on polling day, then you are entitled to apply for a postal vote. (Examples of "qualifying" jobs are airline pilots, fishermen or sales representatives. However, this is not an exhaustive list and all applications are examined on their merits). Form PV2 must be completed for this purpose.
- Students attending an approved third level course in the State may apply for a postal vote. Form PV2 must be completed for this purpose.
Who is entitled to a Postal Vote?
See What if I cannot get to the polling station?
Am I entitled to a Postal Vote if I am on holidays on polling day?
No. You are not eligible for a postal vote in such circumstances. The absence must be of a long term and persistent nature. (See, what if I cannot get to a polling station?)
What is the closing date for postal application forms for the Supplement to the Electoral Register in the case of an election/referendum during the year?
Applications for entry in the supplement to the postal voters’ list received by the registration authority on or after the third day after –
- The date of the dissolution of the Dáil at a general election, or
- The date of the making of an order appointing polling day at a Dáil bye-election, or at a Presidential, European, local election or at a referendum.
What is the Special Voters List?
The Special Voters list comprises the names of those electors with a physical illness/disability living in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions who wish to vote at these locations. The closing date for receipt of applications is 25th November.
I continue to receive Polling Cards at my residence for previous occupants, how do I put a stop to this?
You should return the polling cards to the registration authority along with a note explaining the reason you are returning them. The registration authority will investigate and update the electoral register accordingly.
I continue to receive a Polling Card for a member of my family who is deceased, how do I get their details removed from the electoral register?
You should return the polling card for the deceased to the registration authority along with a note explaining the reason you are returning it. The registration authority will remove the deceased’s details from the electoral register.
Why was my name taken off the Electoral Register?
Your name may have been removed from the register for one of the following reasons:
- You moved address and did not inform the registration authority.
- The polling card issued to you and subsequent correspondence, to establish contact with you has been returned to the registration authority.
- The registration authority received correspondence from the Court Service (following the return of a Jury Summons) stating that you are no longer resident at the address on the electoral register.
- The current occupier of a residence has declared in writing that you no longer reside at the address to which your polling card issued.