General elections

A general election is a vote by the people of Ireland to decide who will represent them in the Dáil (Ireland’s lower house of parliament). Ireland is a parliamentary democracy which means that the Irish public directly elect TDs to represent them.

A general election has to take place at least every five years.

This is laid out in Irish law.

The Taoiseach can ask the President to dissolve the Dáil at any time.

To dissolve means to end the current Dáil. Once the Dáil is dissolved a general election has to be held within 30 days.

The Polling Day Order is set by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This sets out the date of the election and the opening hours for polling stations on polling day.

Most of the candidates in a general election are members of political parties. Members of political parties often share similar aims and political ideals.

There are currently 31 political parties registered to contest elections in Ireland and in the 2020 general election saw nine different parties win seats in the Dáil.

You do not need to be a member of a political party to contest a general election. A person who isn’t a member of a political party who contests an election is known as an independent. The last general election saw 19 independent candidates win seats in the Dáil.

There were a total of 532 candidates in the 2020 general election.

If a candidate is successful, they become a TD.

TDs are the elected representatives in the Dáil. Once elected, TDs vote to choose a Taoiseach and form a government.

TDs decide what laws are passed, changed or removed on a national basis. TDs also work for and represent the interests of their constituents at home and deal with local issues that arise.

There will be 174 TDs elected to the next Dáil. The Constitution states that each TD shall represent 20,000-30,000 people living in the State. The next Dáil will see each TD represent an average population of 29,593.

TDs are elected to represent the people in their constituency, who are often referred to as constituents. A constituency is a specific area where a set number of political representatives are elected by the voters living there.

Under the Constitution, constituencies have to elect at least three TDs and current legislation states that constituencies shall elect three, four or five TDs. There will be 43 constituencies in the next Dáil.

If you want to check what constituency you live in or want more information on this topic, please see the most recent constituency review which was published in 2023.

You will first need to check if you are entitled to vote in a general election.

To vote in a general election, you must:

• Be over 18 years of age
• An Irish or British citizen
• Resident in Ireland
• Be listed on the Register of Electors (Electoral Register)

To find out if your name is on the Electoral Register you can

• Check online at checktheregister.ie; or,
• Enquire at local authority office.

If you are not on the register but you meet the eligibility criteria, you can register to vote at www.checktheregister.ie. If you are registered but your address or other relevant information has changed, you can update your details at www.checktheregister.ie

A polling information card will be sent to your address with details of your local polling station. You do not need to have your polling information card with you when you go to vote. However, you should bring a valid form of personal identification such as a passport, a driving licence, a public services card, or an employee or student identity card with a photograph. Other forms of identification are also acceptable. A full list of valid identification can be found here.

When you arrive at your polling station, you will be asked for your name and address. You may also be asked for a valid form of I.D. If polling station staff are satisfied with your details, and your name is on the Register of Electors, they will stamp a ballot paper and give it to you. You can then take your ballot paper into a private voting booth.

The ballot paper will show a list of names, in alphabetical order, party emblems and photos of each candidate. There will be a box to the right of each candidate’s name. You mark your preference for each candidate in the box to the right.

You mark a ‘1’ in the box beside your first choice candidate and, if you wish, a ‘2’ in the box beside your second choice candidate, a ‘3’ in the box beside your third choice candidate, and so on.

• By marking a ‘1’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘I wish to vote for this candidate.’
• By marking a ‘2’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘If my first choice candidate does not need my vote because they have already been elected or excluded from the count, I want my vote to go to this second candidate.’
• By marking a ‘3’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘If my first and second choice candidates do not need my vote, I want my vote to go to this third candidate’.

This system of voting gives you a wide variety of choice. You can choose many different candidates and mark them in order of your preference. You can mark your preferences for as many or as few candidates as you wish. This is your decision.

When marking your ballot paper make sure you start with ‘1’ then ‘2’ then ‘3’ and so on. To ensure your vote is counted make sure you mark your preferences as clearly as possible. If you do not want to fill out a preference for all candidates on the ballot paper, the box beside those you are not voting for should be left empty. Do not make any other mark on the ballot paper. Don’t leave your vote up to chance or to be potentially questioned. Make your vote count.

If you have a visual impairment, a Ballot Paper Template will be available at every polling station and you can use it to cast your vote.

When you have voted you should fold your ballot paper, return and place it into the ballot box at the same station.

The Returning Officer in each local authority is responsible for managing their local election. Each local authority pays the cost of running their own election.

View multilingual voting information about voting in elections in Ireland.