Ireland’s diaspora has no chance of voting in next year’s presidential election, Minister for Local Government Simon Coveney has confirmed. Work is however starting on improving the voter registration process, he said. Taoiseach Enda Kenny pledged during his St Patrick’s week visit to the US that a referendum would be held on whether or not to allow non-resident citizens, including those in Northern Ireland, to vote in presidential elections.
Mr Coveney said that even if a referendum was held immediately and passed, “it would not be feasible to have comprehensive arrangements in place for an extension of the franchise to have effect” by the time of the next election in November 2018.
Modernisation of the voter registration process and the introduction of arrangements to allow eligible non-resident citizens vote would be required. He told Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan that “the Government has agreed that my department should commence work to effect improvements in the process for the registration of voters”.
Full Article: No diaspora vote in 2018 presidential election, says Coveney.