Wave of Applications for General Election Voting Welcomed
New & Existing Voters Have Resources to Support Them Voting on 29 November
13 November 2024 – An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s independent electoral commission has welcomed a significant wave of applications of people joining the electoral register and updating their details to vote in the 29 November General Election.
115,130 new voter applications have been received through the CheckTheRegister.ie and Voter.ie websites since the start of November, with a further 50,541 applications received to update people’s existing registrations on the sites since the start of the month.
The deadline for people to register to vote in General Election 2024 closed at midnight last evening. The final two days, ahead of the deadline saw almost 55,000 new voter applications and over 21,000 update requests.
Since the start of the year there has been 428,073 applications to register with an additional 225,383 applications to update or amend existing registration details.
Among its functions, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s independent electoral commission, is tasked with building awareness of Ireland’s elections and increasing the numbers of people registering and voting through education and information campaigns.
An Coimisiún has now made available tools for newly registered and existing voters ahead of the election which include:
- A ‘How to Vote’ explainer video
- A ‘Find My Constituency’ Map Tool
- Easy to Read Guides to the General Election
And An Coimisiún is posting answers to FAQ’s about all elements of the election and voting on our website.
Mr Art O’Leary, Chief Executive of the An Coimisiún Toghcháin, stated:
“We would like to welcome all of these new voters, and thank them for taking the time to register to vote or update their details, our thanks also to all those who took time to update their existing details, which helps the overall accuracy of the register.
“An Coimisiún has been carrying out a public information drive to register voters and let them know about the General Election deadlines since October with adverts, media interviews, public events and a social media drive running right up to last nights’ midnight deadline.
“Huge credit is also due to the franchise staff across Ireland’s city and county councils who are working flat out to update the register with all these new people ahead of polling.
“With the registration deadline now passed voters have time to consider their local candidates and ask them any questions they want. Our website ElectoralCommission.ie has information on what constituency you’re in, how to vote, and what you need to vote.
“Your Vote is Your Voice so we are asking all of these new voters to take the few minutes on 29 November to make sure your voice is heard in this General Election.”
– ENDS-
For further information, please contact:
Brian Dawson, Communications and Public Engagement Manager,
An Coimisiún Toghcháin, The Electoral Commission,
086 0749344 Brian.dawson@electoralcommission.ie
Editor’s Note:
The figures below are application figures to the CheckTheRegister.ie and Voter.ie websites. They do not reflect applications made by post or in person to local authorities.
Figures have been provided to An Coimisiún Toghcháin by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
November Figures
| November 2024 (CTR + Voter) | New Registration | Update Registration | Grand Total |
| 01/11/2024 | 1,045 | 697 | 1,742 |
| 02/11/2024 | 1,030 | 587 | 1,617 |
| 03/11/2024 | 1,359 | 761 | 2,120 |
| 04/11/2024 | 2,384 | 1,369 | 3,753 |
| 05/11/2024 | 3,133 | 1,485 | 4,618 |
| 06/11/2024 | 5,917 | 2,905 | 8,822 |
| 07/11/2024 | 13,024 | 6,447 | 19,471 |
| 08/11/2024 | 14,099 | 6,763 | 20,862 |
| 09/11/2024 | 9,182 | 4,088 | 13,270 |
| 10/11/2024 | 9,157 | 3,838 | 12,995 |
| 11/11/2024 | 24,634 | 9,813 | 34,447 |
| 12/11/2024 | 30,166 | 11,788 | 41,954 |
| Grand Total | 115,130 | 50,541 | 165,671 |
2024 to Date
| 2024 To Date (CTR + Voter) | New Registration | Update Registration | Grand Total |
| 2024 | |||
| January | 39,608 | 36,467 | 76,075 |
| February | 80,767 | 45,989 | 126,756 |
| March | 39,103 | 22,501 | 61,604 |
| April | 27,140 | 11,486 | 38,626 |
| May | 92,103 | 31,929 | 124,032 |
| June | 11,256 | 9,932 | 21,188 |
| July | 1,745 | 1,955 | 3,700 |
| August | 1,473 | 1,567 | 3,040 |
| September | 2,948 | 1,687 | 4,635 |
| October | 16,800 | 11,329 | 28,129 |
| November | 115,130 | 50,541 | 165,671 |
| Grand Total | 428,073 | 225,383 | 653,456 |
Weekly Figures since September 2024
| Weekly Figures since September 2024 (CTR + Voter.ie) | New Registration | Update Registration | Grand Total |
| 02/09/2024 – 08/09/2024 | 379 | 297 | 676 |
| 09/09/2024 – 15/09/2024 | 538 | 361 | 899 |
| 16/09/2024 – 22/09/2024 | 799 | 376 | 1,175 |
| 23/09/2024 – 29/09/2024 | 1,031 | 539 | 1,570 |
| 30/09/2024 – 06/10/2024 | 1,985 | 1,221 | 3,206 |
| 07/10/2024 – 13/10/2024 | 1,867 | 1,565 | 3,432 |
| 14/10/2024 – 20/10/2024 | 3,515 | 2,422 | 5,937 |
| 21/10/2024 – 27/10/2024 | 5,648 | 3,696 | 9,344 |
| 28/10/2024 – 03/11/2024 | 7,388 | 4,562 | 11,950 |
| 04/11/2024 – 10/11/2024 | 56,896 | 26,895 | 83,791 |
| 11/11/2024 – 13/11/2024 | 54,800 | 21,601 | 76,401 |
| Grand Total | 134,846 | 63,535 | 198,381 |
An Coimisiún Toghcháin, The Electoral Commission
An Coimisiún Toghcháin is a statutory, independent body, established on 9 February 2023 with responsibility for a broad range of electoral functions set out in the Electoral Reform Act 2022. An Coimisiún is central to Ireland’s electoral system, carrying out a range of existing electoral functions, including:
- responsibility for the registration of political parties;
- promoting public awareness of, and working to increase public participation in the State’s electoral and democratic processes through education and information programmes;
- overseeing the modernised Electoral Register, making recommendations and setting standards in relation to its maintenance and updating;
- the regulation of online paid-for political advertising, ensuring transparency in respect of online political advertisements during the period of an election or referendum campaign; (Legislation not yet commenced); and
- responsibility for the investigation and monitoring of online disinformation, online misinformation and manipulative or inauthentic behaviour online during election campaign periods, as well as functions to prevent manipulative or inauthentic behaviours online. (Legislation not yet commenced).
An Coimisiún is also tasked with several new electoral roles, including:
- making reports for the Minister in relation to local electoral boundaries;
- preparing research programmes and conducting research on electoral policy and procedure, and providing advice, as required, to the Minister and Government;
- the preparation of ex-post reports on the administration of electoral events;
- the decision-making, oversight, secretariat and supporting services associated with explaining the subject matter of referendum proposals, the promotion of public awareness of referendums and encouragement of the electorate to vote at referendum polls; and
- the conducting of reviews and making reports in relation to the constituencies for the election of members to the Dáil and the election of members to the European Parliament.
It is anticipated that the initial set of functions assigned to An Coimisiún will be expanded upon as it builds capacity and expertise.