Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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63. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of persons registered on the electoral register in each local authority area; and the number of persons who were added to the electoral register via the supplementary register for each local authority area for the recent local and European elections, in tabular form. [26435/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities, in their capacity as registration authorities, are responsible for the management and maintenance of the electoral register.

The Electoral Reform Act 2022 delivered the legislative underpinning for a range of significant electoral reforms, including in relation to electoral registration, set out in the “Programme for Government – Our Shared Future”. One of the key changes to make it easier for people to register to vote and update their details included a move away from the draft, final and supplementary form of the register to a rolling register. Rolling, or continuous, registration allows people to register or update their details at any time. The Register remains open for new registrations and updates until the usual closing date before polling day and reopens the day after polling day. Over 600,000 online applications for additions or updates to the electoral register have been made since commencement of the relevant provisions in October 2022; some 100,000 of these were in May 2024.

The final date for receipt by registration authorities of applications for inclusion in the register for the European and Local Elections was 20 May 2024. The table below sets out the number of electors fully processed and included in the electoral register at 23 May as provided by each registration authority. As a result of the large volume of applications received in advance of the closing date of 20 May however, some local authorities were still processing applications at that time.

Election results for the European and Local Elections will be published on the Department’s website in due course and these will include final electorate figures.

Table 1 - Electoral Register at 23 May 2024 by Registration Authority