With just a week until the deadline to register to vote in the local elections, Labour Galway City East candidate Liam Boyle, is highlighting the eligibility of all residents to cast their ballot on May 24.
You do not have to be an Irish citizen to vote in a local election. However, you must be ordinarily resident in the State on September 1 2018, to be allowed register on the 2019/20 Register of Electors. You must be over 18 years of age and you must live in the local electoral area; be listed on the Register of Electors, or the Supplement to the Register; and you may not vote in both a county council and a city council election.
“Many residents, particularly non-nationals, are unaware that they are eligible to vote in the local elections," said Mr Boyle. "All residents - whatever their citizenship - are eligible to vote in local elections, while citizens of any EU member state are also eligible to vote in the European Parliament election on the same day.”
The cut-off for being added to the supplementary register is May 7. In order to be added to the register, residents should use a form entitled RFA2, which is available from libraries, post offices, council offices, and Garda stations, or downloaded from galwaycity.ie The completed form should be witnessed at a local Garda station, before being sent to City Hall. For those already on the register, but whose details are incorrect, form RFA1 can be used. Those who have moved address can use from RFA3.
