Voting when abroad

kkelly77

Hello all. Sorry if this has been asked before.

I will be abroad for the upcoming Lisbon vote. How do I go about voting if I'm out of the country? Thanks.

K

Biggins

Depending on what country your in, it might be possible through the nearist Irish embassy.
Others here will hopefully inform you better.

kkelly77

Biggins wrote: »

Depending on what country your in, it might be possible through the nearist Irish embassy.
Others here will hopefully inform you better.

Have the embassy details in the country I'm travelling to. Just wondering if postal vote is an option to make life easier

Biggins

Fair play to you for going to the trouble.
Wish more thought along the same line.

leincar

Its quite hard to get a postal vote in this country. The only people automatically entitled to it are members of the Defence forces abroad and Diplomats.

I have a postal vote as I work out of the country a lot. You need to fill out form P.V.2 which will be available from your local County council office or possibly their respective websites.

You then need to get the form filled out by your employer followed by a visit to a Peace Commissioner or a Commissioner for Oaths for more filling out of the form.

Now it gets good. If and when your application is accepted you will receive your ballot paper which you will then need to bring to your local Garda Station along with your I.D. so they can verify who you are. Only then can you submit your postal vote. The ballot usually arrives anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks before voting day. Hope that helps.

kkelly77

leincar wrote: »

Its quite hard to get a postal vote in this country. The only people automatically entitled to it are members of the Defence forces abroad and Diplomats.

I have a postal vote as I work out of the country a lot. You need to fill out form P.V.2 which will be available from your local County council office or possibly their respective websites.

You then need to get the form filled out by your employer followed by a visit to a Peace Commissioner or a Commissioner for Oaths for more filling out of the form.

Now it gets good. If and when your application is accepted you will receive your ballot paper which you will then need to bring to your local Garda Station along with your I.D. so they can verify who you are. Only then can you submit your postal vote. The ballot usually arrives anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks before voting day. Hope that helps.

Hi Leincar. Unfortunately none of that applies to me as it's merely a holiday I'll be on.

In saying that, if you have any info on the procedure for casting the vote in an Irish embassy, I would appreciate it.

K

leincar

kkelly77 wrote: »

Hi Leincar. Unfortunately none of that applies to me as it's merely a holiday I'll be on.

In saying that, if you have any info on the procedure for casting the vote in an Irish embassy, I would appreciate it.

K

There is no procedure at all. You are effectively disenfranchised and penalised because your on holiday. The only people who will vote at our embassy's will be diplomats and their families. Just another item on the agenda for change that we need in this country.

schween

I am studying abroad for the year so I'm in a similar situation. The procedure for postal voting is quite ridiculous. I value my vote very much it's made me quite frustrated.

I was told by a Galway Co. Co. employee that the closing date for applications for a postal vote is 3 months before the date of the referendum.

So that makes the closing date early July and considering Mr Cowen didn't announce the referendum date until early July the task is impossible. Also the whole peace commissioner/garda witness thing doesn't help.

Euro_Kraut

schween wrote: »

I am studying abroad for the year so I'm in a similar situation. The procedure for postal voting is quite ridiculous. I value my vote very much it's made me quite frustrated.

I was told by a Galway Co. Co. employee that the closing date for applications for a postal vote is 3 months before the date of the referendum.

So that makes the closing date early July and considering Mr Cowen didn't announce the referendum date until early July the task is impossible. Also the whole peace commissioner/garda witness thing doesn't help.

Its a bad situation. I think the problem in Ireland is that we a disprortionally large number of citizens that live outside of the State (not least in Northern Ireland).

You should apply for the postal vote anyways, on the off chance that you are at home some time around the General Election and can go to a Garda station.

I would re-check with Galway Co Co about the cut off date too. Last year I was told by them I had until May 14th (I have it in an email) to get on the postal register to vote in the June 13th Lisbon vote.

Victor

schween wrote: »

I was told by a Galway Co. Co. employee that the closing date for applications for a postal vote is 3 months before the date of the referendum.

That sounds awfully wrong, even made up, as I imagine many referendums have had shorter lead times that 3 months.

Zambia

This is quite sad, I voted in Ireland, I even voted as a (Irish)resident in Northern Ireland local elections. If I could vote from here I would.

I think the Outside Ireland vote is very important, it contains some of the people who left Ireland because they just saw no future under anyone on the ballot.

Cant be that hard to set up an online vote using the Key Id of your name your age, DOB and passport number.

Oh and leincar RE your sig -> excellent film

Red Sleeping Beauty

kkelly77 wrote: »

Hello all. Sorry if this has been asked before.

I will be abroad for the upcoming Lisbon vote. How do I go about voting if I'm out of the country? Thanks.

K

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/moving-country/moving-to-ireland/introduction-to-the-irish-system/right_to_vote

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/government-in-ireland/elections-and-referenda/voting/registering-to-vote#howtoapply

Overseas voters

If you are an Irish citizen living abroad you cannot be entered on the Register of electors. This means that you cannot vote in an election or referendum here in Ireland. (The only exception to this is in the case of Irish officials on duty abroad (and their spouses) who may register on the postal voters list).

Postal voters list

You will normally be required to vote in person at an official voting centre but you may be eligible for a postal vote if you are:

An Irish diplomat or his/her spouse posted abroad
A member of the Garda Síochána
A whole-time member of the Defence Forces.
You may also be eligible for a postal vote if you cannot go to a polling station because:

Of a physical illness or disability
You are studying full time at an educational institution away from your home address where you are registered
You are unable to vote at your polling station because of your occupation
You are unable to vote at your polling station because you are in prison as a result of an order of a court.
Applications for inclusion on the Postal Voters List must be received by 25 November at the latest.

Application forms for prisoners are available in prisons from 19 January 2007. Send your completed application form to the Local Authority where you are registered to vote. To be included on the Register of Electors 2007/2008 the Local Authority must get your application form before 14 February 2007.

If you are registered as a postal voter, you may vote by post only. You may not vote at a polling station.

Special Voters List

You may also qualify to be on a Special Voters List for those who live in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions and who wish to vote at these locations. Applications for inclusion on the Special Voters List must be made by 25 November and, in the case of a first application, must be accompanied by a medical certificate.

Supplement to the Special Voters List
If you are eligible for the Special Voter list but are not included, you can apply for inclusion in the relevant supplement to the lists.

The latest date for receipt of applications is two days after the date of dissolution of the Dáil in the case of a general election or two days after the order appointing polling day for other elections or referenda.

How to apply

Application forms for inclusion on the Electoral Register, Special Voters List, Postal Voters List and the amended Electoral Register are available from all local authorities, post offices and public libraries. Completed forms must be returned to your local authority.

Forms may also be available on http://www.checktheregister.ie/

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

Its a bad situation. I think the problem in Ireland is that we a disprortionally large number of citizens that live outside of the State (not least in Northern Ireland).

You should apply for the postal vote anyways, on the off chance that you are at home some time around the General Election and can go to a Garda station.

I would re-check with Galway Co Co about the cut off date too. Last year I was told by them I had until May 14th (I have it in an email) to get on the postal register to vote in the June 13th Lisbon vote.

Are there any figures on the number of citizens that would be eligble to vote but can't because they either live elsewhere (even NI or England, Scotland or Wales) or people that just aren't in the country on the day or not in their constituency ? Don't know if there's ever been a poll done or anything.

I remember hearing something about Fianna Fail holding elections on a thursday so people living in Dublin can't get back down the country to their constituency to vote but the Citizen's Info site says you may be eligble for a postal vote if you're studying full time in a college away from your registered address.


The UK has a big integrated voting system including postal votes where anyone can apply - http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote.aspx ; http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote/voting_by_post.aspx

Who can apply for a postal vote?


Anyone aged 18 or over who is on the electoral register can apply for a postal vote. You do not need a reason to vote by post. (This does not apply in Northern Ireland - see the Electoral Office website for more information).

Lockstep

I don't really see the problem with citizens finding it hard to get a vote; our jus sanguinis citizenship mean I've a lot of American cousins with Irish citizenship who've never lived in Ireland, it'd be a bit strange to let such people vote when they're not paying taxes etc.

marco_polo

kickoutthejams wrote: »

I don't really see the problem with citizens finding it hard to get a vote; our jus sanguinis citizenship mean I've a lot of American cousins with Irish citizenship who've never lived in Ireland, it'd be a bit strange to let such people vote when they're not paying taxes etc.

I think it should be easier for people who are away from home on a temporary basis to vote, but likewise I am not in favour of non resident citizens voting in referendums.

Lockstep

marco_polo wrote: »

I think it should be easier for people who are away from home on a temporary basis to vote, but likewise I am not in favour of non resident citizens voting in referendums.

Yeah, I fully agree.

Victor

Alan Rouge wrote: »

Are there any figures on the number of citizens that would be eligble to vote but can't because they either live elsewhere (even NI or England, Scotland or Wales) or people that just aren't in the country on the day or not in their constituency ? Don't know if there's ever been a poll done or anything.

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=3029

680,000 passports were issued last year.

I don't know how many were issued in previous years. I had understood there to be between 6m-7m passports - against ~4m people in the country.

Bottle_of_Smoke

I'm in derry for the date and its a bit of a trek back home, the link above says postal voting doesn't apply - any other way I can vote up here?

Thirdfox

I considered taking a constitutional challenge to the Irish government's policy of not allowing ordinarily resident citizens who are temporarily away from voting (in the general election, referendums etc).

But our constitutional law lecturer had a discussion with me and decided that the courts would probably accept the government's argument that we can't let the American Irish/Pro-IRA people vote. Seems like a soft excuse to me though.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Thirdfox wrote: »

I considered taking a constitutional challenge to the Irish government's policy of not allowing ordinarily resident citizens who are temporarily away from voting (in the general election, referendums etc).

But our constitutional law lecturer had a discussion with me and decided that the courts would probably accept the government's argument that we can't let the American Irish/Pro-IRA people vote. Seems like a soft excuse to me though.

American Irish aren't Irish in the born here sense. So they're only ethnically Irish. That wouldn't entitle them to vote.

Thirdfox

Yes but from what I gather (open to correction) the Irish government allows people up to 3 generations from an Irish citizen i.e. your greatgrandfather/mother was Irish to claim Irish citizenship. Hence the potential number of "Irish" Americans numbering around 40 million etc.

But if Irish citizens i.e. those holding Irish passports (potentially those 40 million Americans) can vote then we would be swamped back home.

However, I think that scenario is rather unlikely to happen and we can easily put in safeguards against it, such as asking "do you normally reside in the country of Ireland?"

bluebubbles

http://www.dublincity.ie/YOURCOUNCIL/VOTINGANDELECTIONS/Pages/RegistertoVote.aspx
Can anyone tell me is this the best way to change my vote address...? Please