At the heart of the question of whether Irish emigrants should be given the right to vote is recognising that we live in a time where people and things circulate globally. Can the Irish State finally recognise that the movement of people to and from countries is something that needs to be integrated into the design of the electoral system, rather than ignored and permanently long-fingered? Can it embrace an idea of citizenship and democratic participation that is not bound to a particular place, and flexible enough to allow for different forms of national and cultural belonging? I live in a country that, on this issue at least, offers a stark contrast to the Irish case. Overseas voting rights were first introduced in New Zealand in 1890 to make special provision for absentee voting by seamen. They have since been extended to a range of people either living or working overseas at election time.
These rights are not limited to citizens. I am a permanent resident of New Zealand, not a citizen, yet I have voted in four New Zealand general elections since 2005. What’s more, the provisions in the New Zealand system would enable me to vote in the next election even if I happened to be temporarily living overseas when it is held.
In light of the voting rights that I now take for granted, without a hint of disapproval from any New Zealander I have met, the historical failure of the Irish State to legislate for emigrant voting rights looks rather inadequate. This failure of democratic imagination is mirrored in the lack of voting rights for people living in situations analogous to my own as permanent residents of Ireland.
Full Article: Irish electoral system not fit for a globalised world.