We have a date, which means all focus now turns to the referendum vote on the 8th Amendment.
Yesterday, the government revealed that the country will go to the polls on Friday, May 25th.
There's calls for people to ensure they are registered to vote in the upcoming vote, and we'll give you everything you need to know with regards to that.
Check The Register
The first thing that needs to be done is to ensure you are on the Register of Electors. If you're not, then you're currently not eligible to vote (but you can fix that).
The best, and quickest way to do this is to go to checktheregister.ie
You'll then be brought to a main page where you'll be asked to enter the province in which you (or your family if you live outside of Dublin, it's entirely up to you).
If you're aware of how to check the register, then you can skip this part and do your thing.
Once you submit those details, you should get this screen:
Once you're here, you can fill in EITHER the 'Townland or Street' OR the 'Eircode' sections. The first option can sometimes be a bit iffy with regards to spelling, house names etc, so my recommendation is that you enter the Eircode.
If you're not sure what your Eircode is, you can find it by entering your address HERE.
Once you enter your 7 digit Eircode, hit search, then you'll get this screen:
Next step is pretty simple, just enter your first name and surname then hit submit.
You will then get this screen if you are registered:
Bear in mind you should check the address of where you currently live, as well as the address of your parents, as you could be registered at that particular one.
If you don't get this screen after checking all possible addresses, then you should read the next section.
If you're NOT registered to vote
You need to fill in the RFA2 form which will allow you to be supplemented onto the Register, which you can get HERE
This form MUST be filled while in the presence of a member of the Gardai.
You need to go to your local garda station with the form and photo ID (passport or drivers licence), and there will also be a section which will be filled in by the garda on duty.
When the form is filled in and signed off by the garda, it must be returned to your local council no later than 15 days before polling day.
You must hand the form into the local council of the area you are going to be voting in. For example, if you live in Dublin but your family home is in Kerry, you should register into the local area authority of the place you will be voting in on the day.
If you're going to be voting in Dublin, you should register into whichever Dublin council serves your area. If you're going home to Kerry then you hand your form to Kerry County Council (or whichever applies to you).
So in this case, the RFA2 form must be submitted by Tuesday the 8th of May if you want to vote.
'I'm not 18 yet but I will be by polling day, can I register?
Yes, you can.
If you are 17 years old now but your 18th birthday falls before polling day, then you can still register.
To do this, you will need to do the following:
- fill in the RFA2 form as described above
- Provide a copy of your birth cert along with your form as proof of date of birth
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That sums all of that up. If there's any further questions, feel free to get in touch on Twitter @AndrewLowth1
