voting from abroad

lola_run

What's the story for Irish citizens living abroad and wanting to vote in the upcoming elections in May? I was told that only diplomats, gardai, etc. are entitled to a postal vote. Is this true? Surely ordinary citizens living in another EU country should be entitled to one too??

r3nu4l

There's a huge thread on this in one of the politics forums at the moment...the short answer is that no, we can't.

I'm in two minds about it. I don't pay tax in Ireland any more, I don't have to live with the consequencs of my vote so I feel we shouldn't have the right to vote.

Then again, I paid taxes for years, it's the country of my birth and I will return there to live sometime and I keep myself informed of everything that's going on at home, I spend a lot of my salary there, I'm getting married there...I'm a citizen etc so I think we should have the right to vote.

My overall feeling on the issue can be characterised by this -->

lola_run

r3nu4l wrote:

There's a huge thread on this in one of the politics forums at the moment...the short answer is that no, we can't.

I'm in two minds about it. I don't pay tax in Ireland any more, I don't have to live with the consequencs of my vote so I feel we shouldn't have the right to vote.

Then again, I paid taxes for years, it's the country of my birth and I will return there to live sometime and I keep myself informed of everything that's going on at home, I spend a lot of my salary there, I'm getting married there...I'm a citizen etc so I think we should have the right to vote.

My overall feeling on the issue can be characterised by this -->

I know, I've just seen it http://www.politics.ie/viewtopic.php?p=611923&sid=c5d0db9942411d1b0263380706b647c0

I think if you were born in Ireland, you should have the right to vote there.

Danish citizens living elsewhere in EU (and in other countries, perhaps) have the right to vote in their national elections up to 5 years after they've moved, and French 'citizens' living abroad can vote for the rest of their life from abroad.

iguana

Whatever about general and local elections I definitely think we should have the right to vote in referenda. Any serious change to the constitution can change the country forever. I sure as hell don't think that the fact that I moved away for a few years meas I should lose the right to have a say in the country I plan to return to and raise my children in.

As it is my husband and I remain registered at his parents address, so if there is an issue we seriously want to vote on we will go back to vote. Though London to Dublin is an easy and cheap journey so not a solution for most emmigrants.

deman

During the run up to one of the previous elections, I emailed the politician that would have received my vote and asked him about this situation. He replied that only Irish residents can cast a vote. I feel this is a little unfair as now I don't have a vote anywhere as I'm a resident in Finland but NOT a Finnish citizen. Finnish citizens living abroad can vote in all Finnish elections, even those who were born here and lived only months here before they moved with their family to another country.

Dublin's Finest

What time will polling stations be open until? I get home for a few days on polling day.

Vokes

Dublin's Finest wrote:

What time will polling stations be open until? I get home for a few days on polling day.

But to do this then surely you need to be registered as living at home in Ireland up until Dec '06 or something

Dublin's Finest

SofaKing wrote:

But to do this then surely you need to be registered as living at home in Ireland up until Dec '06 or something

Which I am.

Vokes

Good stuff.

Think of us poor losers on polling day

Dublin's Finest

It's a pretty poor reflection on the Irish electoral and democratic system though that we don't have procedures in place to allow people who want to vote to vote.

I mean, they're dismissing a lot of possible votes. Then again, I suppose there is no point if people can't be reached on the campaign trail.

Ruu_Old

I would like to be able to vote in future, still on the register as I am not allowed to through my US green card which I think is a bit odd, it is a basic right in my opinion.

Gandhi

I don't feel that I should be allowed to vote in Ireland. I have not lived at home in twelve years, and I will probably never go back. By the same logic, if I did go back, should I still be allowed to vote in the US while living in Ireland? I have voted in at least five elections here, and I don't think I ever voted back home.

Even if they did allow emigrants / expats (now that Ireland is a rich country do we get to call ourselves expats?) to vote, I would waive my right to do so.

I would guess that a lot of people back home would be ticked off about it, and rightly so. I don't pay a penny in taxes to the Irish government, and am rarely subject to the laws of the Irish government*. I don't see how I deserve a say in the running of that government.



*Exceptions being when I go home for a wedding about twice a year, or when I call up the consul in NYC to renew my Irish passport every ten years.

Tea Leaf

I'm the same. I don't live in Ireland anymore so I don't vote.