February 26 for General Election

Following the dissolution of the Dáil by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly has today (Wednesday) made an order appointing 26 February 2016 as polling day for the General Election.

To stand for election to Dáil Éireann, a candidate must be a citizen of Ireland and at least 21 years of age by polling day. A person may nominate himself or herself as a candidate or, with his or her consent, may be nominated by a person who is registered as an elector in the constituency concerned.

A candidate not in possession of a certificate of political affiliation (confirmation that a person is a candidate of a political party registered in the register of political parties) must have their nomination completed using either of the following options: by way of assents requiring the completion of statutory declarations by 30 assentors (registered electors) in the relevant Dáil constituency, or by way of the candidate, or someone on his or her behalf, lodging a deposit of €500 with the returning officer.
The latest time for receiving nominations is 12 noon on 11 February 2016. Candidates may withdraw their nominations up to 12 noon on February 12.

Every person who is an Irish or British citizen and is included in the register of electors is entitled to vote at the General Election. The electorate currently stands at over 3.2 million.

People who are eligible to vote but are not registered as electors still have time to apply for entry in the supplement to the register of electors to be published before polling day. To be eligible for inclusion in the supplement, a person must be 18 years of age or over on or before polling day and must be ordinarily resident in the State.

For inclusion in the supplement to the register, a person must complete the relevant application form, which can be downloaded from www.checktheregister.ie or can be obtained from city, county or city and county councils.