John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I wish to make it clear before I begin that while I was nominated by the Technical Group I do not necessarily represent the views of its members by virtue of its composition.

More than 120 of the 196 nations in the world have enfranchised their citizens who live abroad. Many of the nations which deny the vote are either military dictatorships or given to elections that are neither fair nor free. Ireland falls into neither category, yet it remains one of only three EU member states to completely deny emigrants the basic democratic and civil right to vote. It is estimated that up to 500,000 Irish people who left the country as a result of our economic problems are disenfranchised. In the past two years alone, more than one quarter of the population have been affected by the emigration of a close family member. Without the right to elect a national representative, either at home or elsewhere in the world, these new emigrants are denied meaningful access to our democratic process. Up to 500,000 Irish people, by being denied the right to vote in Dáil elections, are effectively denied their right to free movement. Concern has repeatedly been expressed at EU level that such a practice risks turning our emigrants into second-class citizens. Not only will many feel let down because they were forced to leave what they regard as a bankrupt country and a political system that failed them, but they are also denied any involvement in a future political system.

Internationally, there has been an accelerating trend towards allowing overseas citizens to vote, even among countries with particularly high levels of emigration. We live in an interconnected and globalised society where, with the development of social media, Irish emigrants are in touch with home on a daily basis. It is unjust and a further insult to the people who had to emigrate from this country for economic reasons that they are now denied a say in the political process.

The Constitutional Convention took a small step in the right direction when it recommended the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens outside the State. We now need to follow the example of our European counterparts and allow our citizens, wherever they may reside, the right to parliamentary representation. Given that voters living in this country are not asked to pass a current affairs examination, the argument that people living abroad do not have sufficient links with their home country and are not interested in politics simply does not hold up. If they are that disinterested, they will not vote anyway. Studies in other countries that allow their emigrants to vote show that emigrants do not generally vote in a way that is radically different from those at home. Surely the option should available for them.

It has been estimated that Ireland has the largest diaspora in the world relative to its domestic population. The number of Irish passport holders living in Northern Ireland and overseas equates to about 36% of all those who are entitled to be Irish citizens.

The number of Irish passport holders living in Northern Ireland and overseas equates to approximately 36% of all of those entitled to be Irish citizens. The point has been made repeatedly that given the volume of the diaspora, the process of opening up the voting system to emigrants would be complicated and overwhelming. However, other nations have come up with a range of solutions to these challenges. Some countries disallow voting after a certain period of time. For example, the United Kingdom limits the vote to the first 15 years of living abroad. France reserves seats in Parliament for representatives elected specifically to represent those living abroad. There is a diverse range of solutions to every argument against allowing our emigrants to vote, but it is crucial that we find some way of giving recognition to the Irish abroad. If one speaks to many of those living abroad, one will find their opinion is that in order to have a say, they should have a vote in the democratic process here.

Last year, the National Youth Council of Ireland published the results of a qualitative study on the experience and impact of emigration on Ireland's youth. The majority who took part in the study said they intended to return to Ireland after a period of time, provided they could get a job. This emigrant voice is an integral part of Ireland's future and it must continue to be heard in the political life of the country. These people contribute too much to be denied a voice. They deserve more than The Gathering. They deserve to have their say.