Register of Electors
Roscommon County Council is responsible for the Register of Electors for the County of Roscommon. The county is divided into three Electoral Areas as follows:
Boyle Electoral Area
Roscommon Electoral Area
Athlone Electoral Area
Draft Register
A Draft Register is compiled each year and is published on 1st November and is made available at County Council Offices, Libraries, Garda Stations and Post Offices for inspection up to 25th November. The public are invited to check the draft register during this period to make sure that they are correctly registered. Any errors or omissions in the draft should be brought immediately to the attention of the registration authority.
Claims for additions, deletions or correction of names must be made by 25th November on Form RFA1. Claims for the addition or deletion of names are ruled on by the County Registrar at the Revision Courts held in the local electoral areas, usually in early December. The ruling is made in public and any person may attend and give evidence. Interested persons are notified of the County Registrar’s decision. An appeal may be made in the Circuit Court against the County Registrar’s decision. The claims process takes place between 25th November and 23rd December each year.
Live Register
The Live Register is published on the 1st February and the Register of Electors comes into force on the 15th of February each year and is used in all elections and referenda held in the succeeding 12 months.
Supplement to the Register of Electors
A Supplementary Register is generated after an election/referendum has been announced. This allows for people who may be entitled to be included on the Register to apply for inclusion up to 14 days before Polling Day. The Supplementary Register would typically consist of electors who will be 18 years old by the date of the election/referendum or electors who have changed address since the last Live Register was published. Persons who are not registered to vote must complete the RFA2 Application Form. Persons who are applying for a change of address must apply on the RFA3 application form. Persons who have become an Irish Citizen and are already registered must apply on the RFA5 application form
Local authorities publish two versions of the Register of Electors: the full register and the edited register:
Full Register | Lists everyone who is entitled to vote. Once a Full Register has been published, it can only be used for an electoral or other statutory purpose |
Edited Register | Contains the names and addresses of those voters who have indicated that their details can be used for other purposes (for example, for direct marketing use by a commercial company or other organisation) |
Note: When completing the registration form (RFA) the “opt out” box should be ticked if the person does not want his/her details to be included in the Edited Register |
Important dates to note:
1ST November Publication of Draft Register
25th November Last date for making claims
30th November Publication of list of claims
1st February Publication of the Register
15th February Coming into force of the Register
Eligibility for Registration
To be eligible to be included in the register of electors, you must:
Be 18 years or over on the 15th February in the year in which the Register comes into force
Have been ordinarily resident in the State on the 1st September in the year preceding the coming into force of the Register
You must be registered at one address only and you must live at that address on 1st September before the register comes in to force
Categories of Elector
A person’s citizenship determines their category and the type of elections at which they may vote as follows:
Citizenship | Type of election at which eligible to vote |
Irish Citizens | All elections and referenda |
British Citizens | Dáil, European and local elections |
Other EU Citizens | European and local elections |
Non-EU Citizens | Local Government elections only |
Postal Voters
Postal voting is provided for in respect of certain categories of person as specified in electoral law i.e. An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Irish Diplomats serving abroad and their spouses, persons with a physical illness or physical disability living at home and persons unable to vote in person because of the circumstances of their occupation, service or employment, including students attending an educational institution in the State on a full-time basis. A postal voters list is prepared each year as part of the register of electors. Applications for inclusion in the list must be made to the Registration Authority each year before 25th November. An elector whose name is entered in the postal voters list may only vote by post at an election or referendum.
Special Voters
Those eligible to apply for a special voter status are persons ordinarily resident at a hospital, nursing home or similar institution who are unable to go in person to vote at a polling station by reason of a physical illness or physical disability that is likely to continue for the duration of the Register. In case of first time applicants; a medical certificate must also be completed. Electors on the special voters’ list vote at their hospital or nursing home by completing a ballot paper brought to them by a special presiding officer who is accompanied by a member of An Garda Síochána
How to apply
Application forms for inclusion on the Electoral Register are available from Roscommon County Council and each Garda Station, Post Office and local libraries throughout the county. Completed forms must be returned to Roscommon County Council who will determine the eligibility of the applicant for inclusion on the Register or the Supplement to the Register. Forms are also available on www.checktheregister.ie
Contact Details/Enquiries
Tel: 090 6637100
E Mail: regelectors@roscommoncoco.ie
Website:- www.checktheregister.ie
Franchise Section, Roscommon County Council, Áras on Chontae, Roscommon F42 VR98
