Global International Day Of Democracy Calls For People To Register To Vote

To mark the Global International Day of Democracy, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s independent electoral commission is asking eligible voters not to wait for an election to be called to register to vote.

The UN’s International Day of Democracy is observed on 15th September each year.

With a General Election scheduled to take place before March 2025, and a Presidential Election before November 2025, An Coimisiún Toghcháin is warning that when an election is called, deadlines to register to vote are very short, and the window to register for a postal/special voting is even shorter, set as it is at 2 days after the Polling Day Order.

2024 is a hugely important year for Ireland’s democracy having already seen more than 6.7m individual ballots cast across two referendums, the local and European elections.

People who may have already missed out on opportunities to vote this year because they weren’t registered; people who may have moved address; people who have recently turned or are about to turn 18, should all act now to get included in the register for electors for the next election.

Even if you think you are registered, it’s advised to double-check your listing to ensure your details are correct.

Art O’Leary, Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, said: 

“On this International Day of Democracy, beat the rush and register to vote today. We tried it with a first time voter, and it took less than 3 minutes to register online at CheckTheRegister.ie 

“Here in Ireland, we are fortunate to live in one of the longest continuous democracies in the world. To date in 2024 over 6.7m individual votes have been cast in national referendums and elections.

“There’s always a big rush of people when an election is called and the pre-election cut off deadline is looming, avoid that rush and register today.”

An Coimisiún is issuing thousands of voter registration posters to post offices, libraries, universities, student unions, Intreo offices, health settings and other places countrywide where people can quickly scan the QR code, visit the www.CheckTheRegister.ie  website, and be registered to vote in under 3 minutes.