Analysis: If you can't be at your polling station on November 29th to vote, you're out of luck as things stands so should alternatives be considered?
The general election is on next week and there are some of us who already know we won't be able to cast our vote. But if you can’t be at the polling station on the day, you're simply out of luck as it stands. There are only a limited set of circumstances where a postal vote might be available to you and only if you get your form in on time. And the deadline to do this was 48 hours after the election was called.
Technically, you could have sent the rather complicated postal voting form to your local authority at any time. But many people probably wouldn't think to register for a postal vote before an election is officially called, at which point the clock starts rapidly ticking.
In a general election, you have two days after the date of the dissolution of the Dáil to get your signed and certified form in. The last Dáil was dissolved on Friday, November 8th and the deadline for postal vote applications was Sunday November 11th. This meant anyone hoping to apply somehow needed to get the form certified with signatures from their employer, educational institution or GP, within a very small window of time - and on a weekend too.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, Fintan has always voted but his holiday clashes with the General Election Polling Day
There are a multitude of reasons why having to vote on this one day, in a specific place, during a specific 12 hour window, doesn't work for everyone. Equally, the argument could be made that it’s simply nice to have options. Psychologists would say that to make as many people get on board with something, whether its changing a habit or achieving a wide-scale environmental behaviour change, like getting rid of plastic bags or using the Deposit Return Scheme, lowering the barriers is key.
So it boils down to this: we all have a right to vote. How, then, do we make it as easy, convenient, accessible and inclusive as possible? Let’s take a look at different ways to vote and how they work.
Who can postal vote in Ireland right now?
You may be eligible for a postal vote if you are:
- An Irish diplomat posted abroad, or their spouse or civil partner who is living abroad with them
- 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:
- You have an illness or disability
- You are studying full time at an educational institution in Ireland, which is away from the home address where you are registered
- You cannot vote at your local polling station because of your occupation, service or employment
- You are unable to vote at your polling station because you are in prison as a result of an order of a court
- You are a member of the Garda Síochána
- You are registered as an anonymous elector, or you are part of the household of an anonymous elector
You can also apply to be on a Special Voters List if you live in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution and wish to vote at these locations. In this case, someone brings a ballot box to you.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's News At One, Art O'Leary, CEO of An Coimisiún Toghcháin on who is eligible for a postal vote and how to apply
What are some alternatives to voting on election day at a polling station?
Early voting
Early voting functions exactly like regular voting, only it’s before election day. You bring your ID and cast your ballot at a polling station, in a controlled environment.
Postal voting
Postal voting allows voters to have their ballot sent to their home (an uncontrolled environment). You fill the ballot out at home and return it by post or directly to your local authority. In essence, postal voting is also a form of early voting. Postal voting from abroad is most often done at a consulate or embassy.
Mobile voting
With mobile voting, polling staff travel to specific locations, such as healthcare facilities, care facilities or nursing homes, with a mobile ballot box, to reach those who aren’t able to go to the polling stations. Ireland already does this (we call it the Special Voters List).
Proxy voting
Proxy voting allows the voter to appoint another person (the proxy) to cast a vote on their behalf.
What alternatives have other countries used?
Ireland isn’t necessarily an outlier when it comes to providing alternatives for voters, with many countries using different mechanisms to varying degrees, but few extending them to all voters. Generally speaking, postal voting, proxy voting, mobile voting and early voting are the four most common additional voting mechanisms that are used across the world to help make sure citizens can exercise their right to vote.
According to research done by IDEA, early voting is the alternative most used by countries worldwide, while at a European level, mobile voting is the most prevalent (59%), followed by postal voting (32%), early voting (31%), and proxy voting (18%). It’s important to note that these alternatives often aren’t available to all voters, but to specific cohorts of people.
In Europe, seven countries (Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, Switzerland, and United Kingdom) allow postal voting for all voters. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland allow early voting for all voters. Monaco, Poland, and Sweden allow proxy voting in specific circumstances. Belgium, France, Netherlands and the UK also allow proxy voting if you’re on a temporary stay abroad, like a holiday.
From BBC News, here's how everyone can postal vote in the UK
Denmark
In Denmark, a country with a similar population size to Ireland, you can vote early at any stage in the three weeks leading up to a general election, until the third last weekday before the election. You don't need to apply to do so. You can cast your vote in any constituency across the country, at local Citizen Service centres, and it doesn’t have to be the one you live in. If you vote before the individual candidates have been announced, and subsequently change your mind about your vote, you can vote again and the most recent vote is the one that counts.
Denmark also allows postal voting from abroad if you’re on holiday, at all embassies and consulates. All you need is your ID.
Germany
In Germany, all voters can apply for a postal ballot from their local municipality up until 6pm on the last Friday before the election. It can then be returned by post or handed in to the local authority. The postal vote has to be received by the competent authority before 6pm on polling day, before the counting of votes begins. Voters can also vote by postal ballot from abroad as long as they are already on the electoral register.
France
In France, you can request to have someone vote for you by proxy for a number of reasons, including if you’re going to be on holiday. The country’s snap election last summer saw a surge in people registering for proxy voting, with over 700,000 doing so in one week.
From France 24, French snap elections sees surge in applications to vote by proxy
Will Ireland’s system ever change?
The Electoral Commission is looking at our provisions on postal voting and there is an expectation that this will lead to an expansion of the criteria that are currently applied, says Dr Theresa Reidy, senior lecturer in the Department of Government and Politics at UCC. "This would be a very positive development and would hopefully facilitate voters that want to vote but are not able to do so at the moment for all kinds of important reasons related to family arrangements, travel, etc," she explains.
Reidy is a member of the management board of the National Elections and Democracy Study (NEDS) which was established in 2024 to undertake a 25 year study of Irish elections and political behaviour, a project funded by An Coimisiún Toghcháin (The Electoral Commission). "The National Elections and Democracy Study has also started to explore the reasons why some voters are not able to make it to a polling station on election day and hopefully this will provide a strong evidence base for broadening access to postal voting," she says.
"There are a lot of other options that we could consider like mobile voting, early voting and proxy voting. But we have no experience with these and would have to build the systems carefully. In the medium term, expanding postal voting would be the more sensible approach," she says.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
