Even those already registered to vote are encouraged to make sure that their details are current and correct

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcom Noonan, and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, today launched a national awareness campaign to call on everyone to go to checktheregister.ie and make sure they are correctly registered to vote. The campaign aims to support the ongoing work of local authorities who are engaging with their communities to update the electoral register.

Local authorities, who manage the electoral register for their own administrative areas, are gearing up for a busy period ahead, with European and Local elections scheduled for June 2024 and both a General Election and Presidential election required to be held before the end of 2025.

Minister Noonan praised the work of local authorities who have been engaging their communities in recent months saying, “Every local authority in the country is working to update the electoral register and to do that, they need your engagement and cooperation – over 120,000 electors around the country have already confirmed or updated their details online but of course we need many more to do so.”

Minister Noonan specifically called on long-time voters to log on to checktheregister.ie, even if they haven’t moved or their circumstances haven’t changed: “It’s really important that everyone confirms their details on the website. It’s not about whether you have voted before, it’s about letting your Local Authority know that your entry is current and correct, so that they can focus on identifying and, where necessary, removing entries that are out of date or incorrect. This helps to protect the integrity of the electoral register for all of us. You can confirm your details on checktheregister.ie by adding your PPSN, date of birth and Eircode, or if you’re in Dublin by going directly to Voter.ie.”

Minister Noonan also acknowledged that despite Local Authorities’ best efforts, some entries on the register may be out of date, noting that people move or indeed emigrate without notifying local authorities. There are also cases, he said, where people receive a polling card for a deceased loved one coming up to an electoral event, which can be particularly distressing.

Minister Noonan said, “Local authorities take removing someone from the register very seriously so it’s really important that they are notified and that the information is confirmed with them. Families are often best placed to do this. There is a form available on checktheregister.ie that allows any person to notify their local authorities if a change is needed on the electoral register.”

Referring to the importance of the electoral register in our democratic processes, Minister O’Brien reminded people that everyone over the age of 18 and living in Ireland is entitled to be on the electoral register and vote in local elections, with citizenship determining eligibility for other electoral events. Minister O’Brien said, “We all recognise the value of our democracy and the electoral register is a critical part of that.  While local authorities are responsible for managing and maintaining the electoral register, we are all individually responsible for ensuring our details on the register are current and correct. This is a critical action each of us can take to protect and enhance our democracy.”

Reflecting that it’s been a year since the commitments to modernise the electoral registration process in the Programme for Government were delivered, Minister O’Brien noted, “There’s been a good response to date, but we’re now calling on everyone who hasn’t already done so to get engaged – even if you’re already registered, or believe you are, now is the time to check and confirm to your local authority that your details are current and correct.”

Checktheregister.ie – the easy way to secure your say

ENDS