Search icon

News

21st Jan 2020

The deadline to register to vote in #GE2020 is tomorrow, January 22

Jade Hayden

Are you registered to vote?

The General Election is on next month, so you should be.

But if you’re not, don’t worry, it’s not your fault – there’s still time to ensure that you get on the updated register and have your say.

As long as you do it by tomorrow, that is.

The deadline to get on the supplementary register for #GE2020 is close of business January 22, meaning that you’re going to have to get your details over to your county council before tomorrow evening to ensure that you’re included.

So, what do you do if you’re concerned that you won’t be able to vote next month?

First things first: check the register 

The easiest way to figure out if you’re registered to vote is to check the register.

Search your details on checktheregister.ie, and see if you’re included. Make sure that you input the exact name and address that you used when you originally registered because your name won’t appear otherwise.

You can also call your county council directly to ask if your name is on the register.

A full list of local county councils can be found here. 

What do I do if I’m not on the register? 

If you’re not on the register, don’t panic – you can still get on the supplementary register if you submit an RFA2 form by tomorrow, January 22.

Print the form, fill it out, and bring it to a Garda station to be stamped with either your passport or driving licence.

Then, bring the stamped form to your local county council by close of business tomorrow, January 22.

Do not complete an RFA2 form if you’re hoping to change your address on the register – you’ll need to complete a different form for this.

You can download an RFA2 form here. 

I registered to vote last year but I’m not sure if I’m included on the register 

If you are not sure if you’re included on the register even though you registered to vote last year, contact your local council immediately.

Usually, those who registered before a certain date would have automatically been included on the register, however because of the date of next month’s General Election, this may not be the case.

To check if you have been included, you can check the register yourself, or you can print and fill out an RFA2 form as above.

My name still isn’t appearing on the register – what should I do? 

First and foremost-  don’t panic.

If your name isn’t appearing on the supplementary register, there’s a chance that it has been included – just not shared online.

While a lot of councils will share the full supplementary register online, others won’t. However, if you are concerned that you haven’t been included, you should contact your local council – just to be sure.

Note: you don’t need a polling card to vote. If yours hasn’t arrived – or if you lose it – you can still attend your local polling station to vote.

I recently moved constituency – how do I change my address on the register? 

Changing your address on the register would allow you to vote in a different constituency to the one you originally registered in.

To do this, you need to print and fill out an RFA3 form and bring it to a Garda station to be stamped. Bring your passport or drivers licence with you.

Then, bring the stamped form to your county council before close of business on January 22.

Note: changing your address on the register requires you to already be on the register. Ensure that you are by checking the register before filling out an RFA3 form.

You can download an RFA3 form here.

When will the supplementary register be published? 

The updated register will appear online before the General Election.

However, as above, not every county council will share their supplementary register online, so if you’re worried about not being included you should contact your council.

When is the General Election? 

Saturday, February 8 2020.

Mark your calendars, etc.

Topics:

ge2020