Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020
277. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if she will accept a proposal (details supplied) that seeks to allow every Irish citizen on the island of Ireland a vote in general elections. [43077/20]
View answerUnder electoral law, in order to be able to vote at elections in Ireland, a person's name must be entered in the register of electors for a constituency in the State in which the person ordinarily resides. With some exceptions (mainly postal voters) all persons must attend in person to vote at their local polling station.
Subject to a limited number of exceptions, Irish citizens resident outside the State do not have the right to vote at elections or at referendums held in the State. To provide for such an extended franchise at Dáil and at presidential elections as well as at referendums would require Constitutional amendment.
The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future - commits to holding a referendum on extending the franchise at presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside of the State. My Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been working closely on this issue for a number of years and, on 16 September 2019, the Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Elections) Bill 2019 was initiated in Dáil Éireann by the then Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to facilitate the holding of a referendum on this issue.
While the Bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil Éireann, in support of the Government commitment, the Bill has been restored to the Dáil Order Paper. The date for the holding of the referendum will be decided by Government once the legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas. Proposals for the extension of voting rights to Irish citizens resident outside the State at other elections or at referendums are not under consideration at this point in time.
