Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _________________________________________________________________________ Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State Options paper Prepared by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 22 March 2017 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Queries about this paper should be addressed to: Franchise Section Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government Custom House Dublin 1 D01 W6X0 Email: [email protected] OR Irish Abroad Unit Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Iveagh House St. Stephen’s Green Dublin 2 D02 VY53 Email: [email protected] 3 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contents Section 1: Background and Executive Summary ..................................................................... 7 1.1 Background .................................................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 8 Section 2: Options for consideration in relation to the proposal that voting rights at presidential elections be extended to citizens resident outside the State ............................. 12 2.1 Context ...................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Which citizens outside the State should have the right to vote at presidential elections? ....... 14 2.2.1 All citizens resident outside the State ................................................................................................. 14 2.2.2 All citizens on the island of Ireland and all citizens outside the island of Ireland for a period of time who have lived in the State ................................................................................................................. 16 2.2.3 All citizens on the island of Ireland and all citizens who have left the island in the previous 15 or 20 years. ................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.4 All citizens on the island of Ireland, and all citizens resident outside the island who hold a valid Irish passport ............................................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.5 All citizens resident outside the State who were previously registered to vote in the State .............. 22 2.2.6 All citizens resident outside the State who were born on the island of Ireland .................................. 23 2.2.7 All citizens on the island and all citizens resident outside the island of Ireland who were born on the island or who have lived on the island for at least one year ............................................................... 24 2.3 Limits /restrictions in other countries on the right to vote of citizens resident outside the State ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Section 3: Registration of voters .......................................................................................... 26 3.1 Context ...................................................................................................................................... 26 3.2 Current system of voter registration ......................................................................................... 26 3.3 How is registration of overseas voters organised in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. ........................................................................................................................ 27 3.4 Options for Ireland to register citizens resident outside the State in order to vote at presidential elections. ............................................................................................................... 27 Section 4: Method of voting................................................................................................. 31 4.1 Context ...................................................................................................................................... 31 4.2 Method of voting from outside the State for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and other European States ............................................................................................................... 32 4 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.3 The option of ‘in person’ voting for citizens resident outside the State ................................... 33 4.4 The option of postal voting for citizens resident outside the State .......................................... 34 4.5 Should postal voting be available to all voters if it’s available to voters outside the State? .... 34 Section 5: The implications for the administration of presidential elections ......................... 35 5.1 Context ...................................................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Assignment of voters resident outside the State to constituencies ......................................... 35 5.3 The election timetable ............................................................................................................... 36 5.4 Need to amend legislation on postal voting .............................................................................. 37 5.4.1 Time for issue and return of postal ballots .......................................................................................... 38 5.4.2 Validation of postal ballots .................................................................................................................. 38 5.4.3 Latest time for return/receipt of postal ballots ................................................................................... 39 5.4.4 Later start for the count ...................................................................................................................... 39 Section 6: Cost and resource issues associated with extending the right to vote at presidential elections to citizens resident outside the State. ................................................................... 40 6.1 Expanded electorate will give rise to additional costs in taking the poll, counting the votes and in distributing election material at presidential elections ........................................................ 40 6.2 Cost overview ............................................................................................................................ 40 6.3 Costs associated with the registration of electors .................................................................... 41 6.4 Cost associated with taking the poll and counting the votes .................................................... 42 6.5 Postage costs ............................................................................................................................. 42 6.6 Costs associated with ‘freepost’ distribution of election material for candidates ................... 43 6.7 Communicating with voters resident outside the State ............................................................ 44 6.8 Election spending limits, candidate expenses recoupment ...................................................... 44 APPENDIX 1: The position in Europe and elsewhere ............................................................. 49 APPENDIX 2: Timelines for presidential elections held in Ireland .......................................... 54 APPENDIX 3: Table of who is entitled to vote at elections in Ireland, including numbers ....... 58 APPENDIX 4: Out-of-Country Voting: A Brief Overview – International Foundation for Electoral Systems ............................................................................................................................... 60 5 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 Voting at presidential elections by citizens resident outside the State - Options paper – 22 March 2017 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Section 1: Background and Executive Summary 1.1 Background The Convention on the Constitution, in its Fifth Report1, recommended that the constitution be amended to provide for citizens resident outside the State, including in Northern