Dublin West and Longford -Westmeath Bye-Elections

Following the moving of writs in Dáil Eireann, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has made an order today (1 May 2014) appointing Friday 23 May 2014 as the polling day for the Dublin West and Longford-Westmeath bye-elections. Polling will take place between the hours of 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. with the polls for the European and local elections.

To stand for election to Dáil Éireann, a person must be a citizen of Ireland and at least 21 years of age by polling day. A person may nominate himself or herself as a candidate or, with his or her consent, may be nominated by a person who is registered as an elector in the constituency concerned. A candidate not in possession of a certificate of political affiliation (confirmation that a person is a candidate of a political party registered in the register of political parties) must have their nomination completed using either of the following options: (i) by way of assents, requiring the completion of statutory declarations by 30 assentors registered in the relevant Dáil constituency, or (ii) by way of the candidate, or someone on his or her behalf, lodging a deposit of €500 with the returning officer. The latest time for receiving nominations is 12 noon on Saturday 10 May 2014. Candidates may withdraw their nominations up to 12 noon on Monday 12 May 2014.

Every Irish and British citizen included in the register of electors in the relevant constituencies may, in addition to voting at the European and local elections, vote at the bye-elections. The electorate for Dublin West is 63,461; the electorate for Longford/Westmeath is 85,603.

People who are eligible to vote at the bye-elections but who are not registered still have time to apply for entry in the supplement to the register of electors to be published before polling day. To be eligible for inclusion in the supplement a person must be 18 years of age or over on or before polling day and must be ordinarily resident in the constituency where the bye-election is being held. For inclusion in the supplement to the register, a person completes the relevant application form (RFA2), which can be downloaded from www.checktheregister.ie or can be obtained from City or County Councils. Application forms will need to be received by the registration authority for the area in which the applicant is resident not later than Tuesday 6 May 2014.

The making of the Polling Day Order for the bye-elections in Dublin West and Longford-Westmeath has the effect of extending nationwide the period for getting on the supplement to the Postal and Special Voters lists for all polls being taken on 23 May 2014. The previous deadline of 26 April 2014 is now extended to Saturday 3 May 2014. Application forms are available from registration authorities who will advise people of the appropriate arrangements for the completion of the relevant form. Completed forms must be received by the registration authority not later than Saturday 3 May 2014.