Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

87. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the criteria for postal ballot eligibility will be expanded in order to align them with those in Northern Ireland. [27753/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Postal voting is provided for in electoral law in respect of a number of categories of electors, including: -

- Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners,

- whole-time members of the Defence Forces,

- members of An Garda Síochána,

- electors living at home who are unable to vote because of a physical illness or a physical disability,

- certain election staff employed at the poll outside the constituency where they reside,

- full-time students registered at their home who are living elsewhere while attending an educational institution in the State,

- prisoners, and

- electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely that they will be unable to vote in person at their local polling station on polling day.

The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future contains a commitment to establish an Electoral Commission, which will be mandated to examine the use of postal voting, with a view to expanding its provision. Any reform of electoral law in regard to postal voting will have regard to the outcome of this work.