Irish Emigrants vote here- ballotbox.ie

BallotBox.ie: Brian

Just a short note to let you know that http://www.ballotbox.ie is open once again for your votes in the presidential election.

As much as this is an opportunity to exercise a symbolic vote it is also essentially a petition to show the government the demand for the law to be changed.

We are not seeking voting rights for all Irish passport holders but merely for those who have recently left Ireland, say in the past 5,10 or 15 years.

Please pass on to your friends and relatives abroad.

Sir Oxman

FG promised to trial emigrant voting in the US in time for this election if I remember correctly - whatever happened to that idea?

BallotBox.ie: Brian

Simon Coveney went from this statement - pre election

“The idea that 50,000 people have left Ireland over the past year because they can’t find work here and they can’t
develop a future here.
“The fact that we’re not going to allow those people vote for a new government who can solve the problems that have driven them out of Ireland, to me seems obscene.”
Mr Coveney said he was personally commited to extending the franchise to those who have left Ireland “in recent years” as part of an overall political reform agenda”.
“We need to allow people who have left Ireland in recent years a vote in the general election and we need to facilitate that through Irish embassies or through some other mechanism.”

to this in July

“I have legal advice telling me it’s probable that you would need a constitutional referendum to clarify the issues around giving votes to emigrants.
“Under the current wording of the Constitution, [the issue] is because of the linkage between the constituency for presidential and general elections. You clearly couldn’t allow Irish abroad to vote in general elections without [constitutional] change,” he said

stonetrower

BallotBox.ie: Brian wrote: »

Simon Coveney went from this statement - pre election



to this in July

Is it pos to start a petition and make it a big issue ready for the next election.

harrythehat

Thanks for posting, will definitely get on to it and share it with friends here!

stonetrower

gambiaman wrote: »

FG promised to trial emigrant voting in the US in time for this election if I remember correctly - whatever happened to that idea?

If anybody has a link to FG's promise I would be greatful. Thanks

28064212

BallotBox.ie: Brian wrote: »

Simon Coveney went from this statement - pre election

to this in July

In fairness, I don't see anything wrong with that. He said we needed a way to allow overseas voting, got legal advice, found out it would be unconstitutional. Presumably he's going to look at bringing a referendum up at some stage in the future that would make it constitutional, what else can he possibly do?

Sir Oxman

stonetrower wrote: »

If anybody has a link to FG's promise I would be greatful. Thanks

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0215/finegaelmanifesto.pdf

Point 17.3

"Reducing the Voting Age to 17 and Giving Citizens the Right to Vote at Irish Embassies in the
Presidential Election: If this experiment is deemed a success Fine Gael will consider extending this
practice to general elections.


Seeing as this election is upon us, it'll be 2018 before it's trialed and possibly 3 years beyond that before it's attempted at a general election!

bijapos

It was another knee jerk promise from FG that they seem to have ignored, referendum on Senate abolotion anyone?. We knew the Presidential election was going to be held this Oct back in March, they could have put some effort into trying to make sure that it would happen.

There are enough precedents Europe wide for this, the French do it, so that we could have tried it out this year. Its not as if the President is an overly political position so no political party has anything to lose by supporting the idea.

jank

This will probably be part of the review of the constitution. Happening soon isnt it?