Referendums polling day order

Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, has today (24 July 2013) made an order appointing Friday 4 October 2013 as the polling day at the referendums on the proposals for the amendments of the Constitution contained in the Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013 and the Thirty-third Amendment of the Constitution (Court of Appeal) Bill 2013.

Polling will take place between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm.

The Minister has appointed Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile, a Principal Officer in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, to be the referendum returning officer for the referendums.

Every Irish citizen who is 18 years of age and included in the register of electors is entitled to vote at the referendums. The total electorate currently stands at some 3.1 million.

Persons who are eligible to vote but who are not registered as electors can apply up to Tuesday17 September 2013 to their local authority for entry on the supplement to the register of electors to be published before polling day and so be able to vote on 4 October 2013. Application forms (RFA2) can be downloaded from www.checktheregister.ie or can be obtained from City or County Councils. To be eligible for inclusion in the supplement to the register a person must be an Irish citizen, must be 18 years of age by polling day and must be ordinarily resident in the State.

An application for inclusion in the supplement to the Register must be signed by the applicant in the presence of a member of the Garda Síochána from the applicant’s local Garda station who must first be satisfied as to the person’s identity before signing, dating and stamping the form. The Garda may request photographic or other identification. Where the applicant establishes in writing that he is unable to progress the application in this way, the form can be signed by the applicant in the presence of an official of the registration authority who is satisfied as to his or her identity. Again, photographic or other identification may be required. If neither option is viable due to physical illness or physical disability, the application form must be accompanied by a medical certificate.

If a person is eligible to vote by post, or is unable to vote in person due to a physical illness or physical disability and is resident in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution, and they are not on the Postal Voters List or Special Voters List, as appropriate, they can apply up to Monday 9 September 2013 for inclusion in the supplements to those lists. Application forms are available from City and County Councils who will advise people of the appropriate arrangements for the completion of the relevant form.

Referring to this deadline of 9 September 2013, the Minister pointed to the improved timelines he has recently introduced in this area – “This is the first electoral event since the enactment of the Electoral, Local Government and Planning and Development Act 2013 earlier this week. It means that the new improved timelines for making application to local authorities for inclusion in the supplement to the postal and special voters lists will apply at the referendum polls”, the Minister said. “Where people eligible for inclusion in these lists would previously have had until 26 July 2013 to make their application, they now have until 9 September 2013 to do so”, he added.

The Minister also took the opportunity to encourage Local Returning Officers to consider employing unemployed people on polling day and at the subsequent counts in each constituency in making their arrangements for the conduct of the polls.

“While the efficient conduct of polls and the count is clearly dependent on having sufficiently skilled and experienced people, I would ask all Local Returning Officers to consider employing suitable persons who are unemployed”, the Minister said.