Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 May 2017
22. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the implementation of the diaspora voting in future presidential elections. [17993/17]
View answerThe Government decided in March of this year to hold a referendum to amend the Constitution to give the right to vote at presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside the State, including Northern Ireland.
In order to inform public discourse on the significant policy change proposed, I published an Options Paper on 22 March 2017, which is available on my Department's website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/voting/presidential-elections/voting-presidential-elections-citizens-resident. The Options Paper sets out the range of options available to give effect to the recommendation in the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution. It also provided a basis for the discussion on voting rights which took place at the Global Irish Civic Forum in Dublin earlier this month.
These discussions will inform the Government's decision on a preferred option to be put to the people in a referendum. While a decision has not yet been made on the timing of a referendum, even if a referendum was held immediately and passed, it would not be feasible to have comprehensive arrangements in place for an extension of the franchise to have effect for the presidential election to be held before 11 November 2018 as this will require modernisation of the voter registration process and the introduction of arrangements to facilitate those eligible to vote to exercise their franchise from outside the State. In this regard, the Government has agreed that my Department should commence work to effect improvements in the process for the registration of voters.
