The European Parliament Elections Act 1997 gives effect to the detailed arrangements in place in Ireland for implementing the requirements of Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993. That Directive provides that EU citizens, who are not nationals of the Member State in which they reside but who meet the same conditions in respect of the right to vote as that State imposes on its own nationals, have the right to vote in that Member State at European Parliament elections.
Within this framework, the Directive provides for a system of declarations by non-national EU citizens, including a declaration of intent to exercise the right to vote in their Member State of residence only. The Directive also provides for information exchange between Member States to help ensure that no person votes more than once at European Parliament elections.
Subject to the requirements of electoral law, an Irish citizen resident in another Member State can vote at the European Parliament election in their Member State of residence and also vote at the local elections in Ireland, either in person or through the post if they are on the postal voters list.
In relation to the transmission of data between Member States, data is transmitted in the year the European Parliament election is held – it is not transmitted annually. The number of notifications received by my Department from other Member States in 2009 was 4,795, as detailed in the following table.
Member State
|
Number
|
Notified to registration authorities
|
Austria
|
89
|
0
|
Belgium
|
0
|
0
|
Bulgaria
|
0
|
0
|
Czech Republic
|
2
|
2
|
Cyprus
|
15
|
0
|
Denmark
|
392
|
0
|
Estonia
|
4
|
0
|
Finland
|
85
|
19
|
France
|
1,465
|
0
|
Germany
|
958
|
31
|
Greece
|
84
|
7
|
Hungary
|
0
|
0
|
Italy
|
337
|
56
|
Latvia
|
1
|
0
|
Lithuania
|
1
|
0
|
Luxembourg
|
99
|
0
|
Malta
|
25
|
6
|
Netherlands
|
729
|
0
|
Poland
|
1
|
0
|
Portugal
|
66
|
0
|
Romania
|
1
|
0
|
Slovenia
|
0
|
0
|
Slovakia
|
0
|
0
|
Spain
|
0
|
0
|
Sweden
|
441
|
87
|
Total
|
4,795
|
208
|
As the information provided in the majority of the 4,795 notifications received from Member States in 2009 was insufficient to identify citizens and/or relevant registration authorities, it was only possible to transmit the information supplied to the re levant registration auth orities in 208 cases, as detailed in the following table.
Local Authority
|
Number transmitted to local authoritie s
|
City Councils
|
|
Cork
|
1
|
Dublin
|
4
|
Galway
|
2
|
Limerick
|
2
|
Waterford
|
0
|
County Councils
|
|
Carlow
|
3
|
Cavan
|
4
|
Clare
|
11
|
Cork
|
9
|
Donegal
|
9
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
|
27
|
Fingal
|
3
|
Galway
|
3
|
Kerry
|
11
|
Kildare
|
15
|
Kilkenny
|
6
|
Laois
|
4
|
Leitrim
|
1
|
Limerick
|
1
|
Longford
|
1
|
Louth
|
9
|
Mayo
|
7
|
Meath
|
9
|
Monaghan
|
2
|
North Tipperary
|
6
|
Offaly
|
6
|
Roscommon
|
3
|
Sligo
|
7
|
South Dublin
|
4
|
South Tipperary
|
4
|
Waterford
|
4
|
Westmeath
|
6
|
Wexford
|
9
|
Wicklow
|
15
|
Total
|
208
|
When this information was sent to registration authorities they were asked, if they were able to identify satisfactorily the persons concerned, to place an appropriate mark beside their names on the register of electors to be used in the polling station. In the unlikely event that these persons presented themselves at the polling station on polling day, the register would indicate that they were not entitled to receive a ballot paper for the European Parliament election and would not be permitted to vote.
The number of notifications received by my Department from other Member States in 2004 was 5,697. As the information received on that occasion was generally insufficient to identify citizens and/or relevant registration authorities, it was not transmitted to registration authorities.