Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote on 24 May

Trevor issued a big call today on making sure you are registered to vote for Thursday. He is as miffed as we are about a Thursday vote, so Bertie can take some joy from something after a tough week so far. Anyway Trevor reminded me to elevate Daithi from Lex Ferenda’s advice again as it has slipped off the front page.

Irish bloggers, please spread the word. We may as well make the most of a daft Thursday election.

If you are unlikely to be able to vote in person on Thursday 24th May (and you are already registered to vote), it is not too late to apply for a postal vote. If you are accepted as a postal voter (due to being resident in a different place to where you’re registered - i.e. a student from Cork living in Dublin during term-time for college), you must vote by post - you can’t then turn up at your polling booth in Cork.

Your application for a postal vote goes to the local authority area in which you’re already registered (i.e. in the case of our example above, you send it to Cork).

This must be done by Tuesday. (An application by an elector to have his name entered in the supplement to the postal voters list received by the registration authority on or after the third day after the dissolution of the Dáil at a general election … shall not have effect in relation to that election or referendum).

Get a form here (but of course, send it to the right place - this is Dublin’s form). You’ll need your college/employer to sign it; and voting by post itself is a little convoluted. However, this may be of help to some of you.

If not, or if you’re not even on the register, remember that the supplementary register is open. Here’s the form (send to the area in which you live and wish to be registered). This closes the day before 14 days (excluding Sun/bank holiday) before the election - which has been confirmed as Saturday 5th May (effectively close of business on Friday, unless the local authority will allow Saturday faxes, post-Bank-Holiday post, etc.

My own case is that I require a change of address RFA 3 form. This is required if you are on the register in your ‘home’ constituency and wish to transfer to a new one. It gives the council permission to strike you off the old register. Download it here and return it to your new constituency council (not your old one-I rang to check). Also it seems that this Friday (edit: Daiti has mentioned the date is different across the state so make sure to call your local Co Co) is by and large the latest day to get on the supplementary register.

Edit: Make sure you ring the council which you seek to register in to find out where to fax it. Dun Laoghaire are taking it from me and sending it to Kerry Co Co. Some councils may make you fax it to your original constituency first. So ring to make sure. Details for contact here.

Most councils will allow you to fax your application on to them.