General Election 2024
The General Election will take place on Friday 29 November 2024.
The deadline to register and update your details for in-person voting for the General Election is midnight on 12 November 2024. For further information or to register to vote, please go to www.checktheregister.ie
The deadline for postal and special voting arrangements for the General Election was 10 November 2024.
A general election is a vote by the people of Ireland to decide who will represent them in the Dáil (Ireland’s lower house of parliament). Ireland is a parliamentary democracy which means that the Irish public directly elect TDs to represent them.
For further details on Elections please go to https://www.electoralcommission.ie/general-elections/
The electoral registration process has changed and it is now easier to register to vote and to update your details since the President signed the Electoral Reform Act, 2022 into law on 25th July, 2022.
If you are a new applicant, you can now register to vote online OR If you are an existing elector, you are now being asked to update your details online by visiting: www.checktheregister.ie
You can also apply by downloading and completing the ERF1 Application Form
or by contacting the Register of Electors Team at Galway City Council register@galwaycity.ie
Age - At what age can I register to vote?
You can register to vote if you are aged 16 or over, but you will not be eligible to vote until you are 18.
By registering at the age of 16, it means that we will be able to move you to the live electoral register once you reach the age of 18.
Residence
Everyone over the age of 18 who is ordinarily resident in the State can register to vote. You will be registered at the address at which you are ‘ordinarily resident’. This is where you live.
Citizenship
You must be living full time in the State to be eligible to vote.
We will ask you for your nationality in your application as this may affect which elections you can vote in.
· An Irish citizen- you are eligible to vote in all elections and referendums
· An EU citizen- you are eligible to vote in European and local elections
· A British citizen- you are eligible to vote in Dáil and local elections
· All other- you are eligible to vote in local elections
How do the changes affect me?
You will find it easier to update your details when you need to – for example when you move house or if your name changes after marriage or divorce. In addition, the process will now use some identity data (name, Personal Public Services Number (PPSN) and Date of Birth (DOB)) to allow for a data cross-check – this is to improve the accuracy and integrity of our electoral register for the future
Even if your details haven’t changed everyone is being asked to check and complete their details (by adding their PPSN, date of birth and Eircode) and a public communications campaign will support this work. A data cross check will be carried out using your PPSN and date of birth to confirm your details.