Irish people around the globe are calling for looser restrictions around the postal vote system, eager to have their say on Ireland's future, a country that most hope to return to in the future.
Postal voting allows voters to receive their ballot papers to their homes and then post their completed ballot back to Ireland.
As it stands, there are only a limited set of circumstances where a postal vote might be available to a person and only if they get their form in on time.
The following people may be eligible for a postal vote: Irish diplomats posted abroad; Whole-time members of the Defence Forces; People with an illness or disability; People studying full-time at an educational institution in Ireland, away from the home address they are registered; Citizens in prison; People who cannot vote at their local polling station due to their occupation; Members of An Garda Síochána; Those who are registered as an anonymous elector or are part of the household of an anonymous elector.
The deadline for the necessary paperwork was two days after General Election 2024 was called, a process that some emigrants believe is difficult.
Debate around postal voting has taken place in the Dáil and the Seanad in previous years with little progress but in some countries postal voting has become the new normal.
In the US, a ballot is mailed to the home of a registered voter who fills it out and returns it via post.
American citizens can register to vote from anywhere in the world.
Closer to home, UK citizens living overseas can apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote where they can ask someone else to vote on their behalf.
The issue of mass emigration was a major topic for nearly all political parties, with Fine Gael leader Simon Harris vowing to bring people’s children home from Australia.
However, those children were largely unable to vote for the country’s next leaders.
Some young people have taken matters into their own hands and made the long journey home to cast their vote.
Others said they could not afford to make the journey home and urged their parents to vote with them in mind, uneasy that they would not get a say themselves.
They criticised Ireland’s current postal voting rules as being old fashioned and excluding a generation who watched the General Election campaign with keen interest.
Rachel
Rachel Lawlor, 25, has been living in Sydney for nearly a year but travelled 17,000km for a surprise visit home to vote last weekend.
The Wexford native stressed that voting in a General Election should be a whole lot easier and would likely increase engagement among her generation.
The nurse has a vested interest as her dad, the current Mayor of Wexford George Lawlor, was running for election.
"I am so proud of my dad," she said. "I always had it in my head that I would come home for it."
Ms Lawlor said her friend group had been looking into the rules around postal voting since the Dáil was dissolved on 8 November but that most could not afford to make the trip.
"I think it’s something that the Government should look towards changing so that young people can have their say."
Her sisters Sarah and Ruth also travelled home from Dubai and Edinburgh respectively to vote for their dad.
"It’s so important for our generation to vote," she said. "We are the future."
Sarah
Sarah Gahan in Vancouver, Canada, slammed the current rules around postal voting as being behind the times.
"I cannot vote even though I am an Irish citizen," said Ms Gahan. Ms Gahan said she felt "trapped by the sidelines", without a voice.
The Dublin native said it is now far easier for her to vote in Canadian general elections.
"I am moving back home to Ireland in the new year so the Government that is voted in will directly impact me," she said.
"I have my Canadian citizenship and can vote via mail for general elections, so I will be doing that in the future from Ireland.
"My fate and other people’s that live abroad is left to those in Ireland."
Erika
Erika Kettle, 28, believes it is her democratic right to cast a vote in a General Election.
"I strongly believe that all Irish people, no matter where they are in the world, should have the right to vote for their future," she said.
"Even for those who choose not to return to Ireland, it is our right as Irish citizens to have a say - not just for ourselves, but for our families, siblings, and future generations.
Ms Kettle said she felt forced to leave Ireland for Vancouver.
"So many of us living abroad, myself included, have said, 'I didn’t want to move; I had to’.
"It breaks my heart that I can’t vote for my own future simply because I’m not in the country at the moment."
The Dubliner urged her family to vote with her in mind, in the hopes that she would be able to afford housing in Ireland at some point in the future.
"I’ve even found myself asking my parents to vote not for what they want, but for what they think would be best for me," she said.
Philip
Philip McGrath from Navan, Co Meath, also believes he should be able to vote from Canada’s west coast.
The Meath man wants to move home to Ireland in years to come so wants to have a say in its future.
Mr McGrath said that his quality of life is "much better" in Vancouver.
"I would love to travel home to vote but can’t currently leave Canada until our permanent residency application is approved," he said.
"It’s why I’d love it if there was an absentee ballot option for those of us who do want to eventually go home and care about the election outcome."
The 28-year-old man’s partner, Ciara Jenkins, is currently undergoing cancer treatment in Vancouver. He said that Canada’s healthcare system was a "big reason" why the couple are staying put.
"The quality of the healthcare system [for cancer] has been a lot better than what we would get at home.
"We also feel the election outcome will have a big effect on whether healthcare improves at home or not and that will impact our decision to go home or not."
Fergus
Fergus has also been living in Vancouver for 12 years and his young son is a dual-citizen.
He would like to be able to have a postal vote so that he could vote for his family’s future back home.
They are planning to move back to Ireland and worry about the country’s housing crisis.
"As someone who wishes to move back to Ireland, I would love to be able to have my say in how Ireland is organised/managed/run," said Fergus.
"I see expat friends do have the ability to vote from Australia, the US etc and I always wonder why Ireland doesn't support the same."
However, he stressed that the system would need to be highly regulated.
"I feel that there would have to be fairly tight restrictions on who is actually eligible, for example if a citizen in the US has never lived in Ireland, I would be concerned if they have the ability to vote on Irish matters."
Gráinne
Meanwhile, primary school teacher Gráinne Ní Chinnéide made the journey from Milan, Italy, to vote last Friday.
Ms Ní Chinnéide said that the availability of a postal vote would save her time and money.
She said that she was not able to fly home to vote in the last referendums in March and felt she had to "at least try" to cast her ballot in the General Election.
Ms Ní Chinnéide was only in the country for less than 24 hours and feels that the current process is unnecessarily hard.
"A number of young people are missing out on the opportunity to vote in what is certainly being presented to us as a crucial turning point for Ireland in the hopes of seeing real change in our country.
The primary teacher said she is lucky that she lives in Europe and was able to be able to afford the flights.
"This is not a choice that I take for granted. I was fortunate to have been allowed the day off from work, fortunate to be in a financial position to book a flight and have somewhere to stay when I arrive in Ireland.
"A large majority of my generation have moved further afield and do not have the same luxury to travel home to vote. It was a decision I made with them in mind," Ms Ní Chinnéide added.
"I am a big believer in exercising your right to vote and having a responsibility to vote when possible."
Ms Ní Chinnéide researched all her options before booking her flight to Dublin Airport. "I was not eligible for any of the postal vote options and I am sure that many others found themselves in a similar position.
"Why in 2024 are postal votes only permitted in very particular circumstances?" she asked.
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Evan
Evan Keating lives in Auckland, New Zealand, but argues that those living abroad for extended periods of time should not be allowed to vote in general elections.
"I think it's fine if you happen to be away on holidays or on a study year or something on election day and that should be provided for, either online or via an embassy," he said.
"My reasons for this are pretty simple, if you live in another country then you should be actively participating in the life of it, including voting.
"I've seen this debate over the years and have yet to see a coherent argument as to why long term emigrants should keep all of the rights of being at home yet not live there," the New Zealand-based Irishman added,
"While your heart and family may be back in Ireland, that doesn't mean you get to decide who governs them."
