Skip to main content

Your Vote is Your Voice

Electoral Operations

Referendum Campaigns

The Electoral Commission is an independent body that will explain the subject matter of referendum proposals, promote public awareness of a referendum, and encourage the electorate to vote.

Constituency and Electoral Boundary Reviews

The Electoral Commission is responsible for conducting reviews of all Dail and European Parliament constituencies.
When conducting these reviews the Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides that the Commission shall have regard to the following;

  • the total number of members of the Dáil, subject to Article 16.2.2° of the Constitution, shall be not less than 171 and not more than 181;
  • each constituency shall return 3, 4 or 5 members;
  • the breaching of county boundaries shall be avoided as far as practicable.
  • The reference to county boundaries does not include a reference to the boundary of a city or any boundary between any 2 of the counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin;
  • each constituency shall be composed of contiguous areas;
  • there shall be regard to geographic considerations including significant physical features and the extent of and the density of population in each constituency
  • the Commission shall endeavour to maintain continuity in relation to the arrangement of constituencies.

The Commission will present its report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee not later than three months after the final result of the census of the population of the State.

The Commission will also be responsible for reviewing local electoral area boundaries and report to the Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage in relation to those boundaries.

Registration of Political Parties

The Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission is the Registrar of Political Parties. All political parties must be on the Register of Political Parties. A political party must be on the Register of Political Parties in order to contest all or any of the following elections:

  • A Dáil election
  • A European Parliament election
  • A local election

If you would like to enquire about registering a political party please email info@electoralcommission.ie

If you would like to learn more about registering a political party, please see the forms and guidance below:

Oversight of the Electoral Register

The Electoral Commission has an oversight role in relation to the Electoral Register.

While Electoral Registers are managed and maintained by local authorities, the Electoral Commission may commission or carry out research in relation to;

  • the accuracy and completeness of electoral registers;
  • the maintenance of electoral registers;
  • the processes relating to the compilation, maintenance and functioning of the electoral registers.

Each year the Commission will publish a report setting out any research it has carried out and the Commission’s assessment of the status and functioning of the electoral register and any recommendations the Commission considers necessary to maintain and enhance the integrity of the electoral register and the registration process.

For more information on electoral registers see the Check The Register Website.