Time for a zero refugee policy? - *Read OP for mod warnings - updated 11/5/24*

Ten of Swords

@Fitzy149 threadbanned

LongfordMB

It is beyond infuriating that fake asylum seekers off the boat last week are entitled to vote here. They are nullifying irish citizens votes for centre right candidates who want to control borders. It's a disgrace. No wonder the NGOs pushed it through they running this country.

prunudo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122230271#Comment_122230271

so no tents in last week before an election and now suddenly they appear again. There is something very rotten going on in this country.

zerosquared

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122230663#Comment_122230663

Hold on don’t they need to be on the register first and that takes time?

Viscount Aggro

Whoever is supplying the tents... They need to be spoken to.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122230719#Comment_122230719

Of course they do. But why let's facts get in the way of a nonsensical rant.

ArthurDayne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122230663#Comment_122230663

In fairness, the laws on foreign national voting rights came into effect via referendum in 1999 — long before the more recent increases in immigration — while the granting of voting rights to asylum seekers came about in 2004 (which obviously is long before the topic of asylum seekers was a prominent issue in Ireland). You're saying "no wonder the NGOs pushed it through" as if these laws were some very recent move to capitalise on the spike in applications for asylum experienced since 2022.

The voting rights you speak of are also limited to local elections only, so I'm not sure that they will have a material effect as regards border control — a matter which is not within the remit of local councils. This is a policy area tied to national government and therefore is influenced by the outcome of general elections, in which non-EU citizens are not allowed to vote.

Even with all that, you still have to go through the process of registering to vote and then actually go vote — not sure how many actually have done that.

gral6

New green tents in Dublin on the election day. What a coincidence!

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231057#Comment_122231057

To show their support for the Green Party

LongfordMB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231052#Comment_122231052

Sounds like we need another referendum to reverse that if thats the case, I'm sure you'll agree. But no NGO activists pushing for that.

prunudo

what was the original justification for needing a referendum. It was obviously well before there 30k/annum arriving but why were we asked to change it too allow people who aren't here a wet week having a say how our county councils are run?

suvigirl

Ddelete

Marcos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122219983#Comment_122219983

I'm a bit late to the party, but the county council released the updated Supplementary Register. I believe they call it something else now.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231164#Comment_122231164

I wouldn't think so. Surely no-one has any issue with everybody having a day in the locality they live in? It's only local elections, no big policy changes gonna happen

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231207#Comment_122231207

The referendum was to put reference to local government into the constitution, it did not appear before then.

ArthurDayne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231164#Comment_122231164

Well ....anyone is free to push for a referendum on it or indeed vote for parties who will push for it in the more fundamentally important general election — which non-EU citizens cannot vote in.

ArthurDayne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231207#Comment_122231207

Just to be clear— the 1999 referendum incorporated (inter alia) a constitutional right to vote in local elections for Irish citizens and "such other persons as may be determined by law" to vote in such elections. The actual extension of voting rights in local elections to asylum seekers (thus making them "such other persons as may be determined by law") came 5 years later by changes to rules that allowed Temporary Registration Certificates or Garda National Immigration Bureau cards carried by asylum seekers to be used as valid ID for the purposes of voting.

On a conceptual level, I understand the motivation to have been that giving a limited form of franchise to asylum seekers (i.e. to vote in local elections only) would be in promotion of their sense of civic participation and integration.

Marcos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231247#Comment_122231247

I can't believe that anybody would be so flippant about diluting Irish people's electoral presence. . . . . well actually, I can.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231357#Comment_122231357

I have no idea what your trying to say here? I can't believe that anyone could have issues with allowing people living in areas to have a say over the local government of those areas.

Marcos

Well call me old fashioned if you like, but I would like people who have a legal right to be here, be allowed to have a say in our elections. If you have no legal right to stay here, or whether you do or not is yet to be determined, then you should have no say in our elections.

Quags

"You can vote in a local election if you are a non-EU citizen, regardless of the type of residence you hold, or if you are seeking asylum and have not had a decision on your application."

But if im wrong here and open to correction, Person A & B who are waiting on application decision vote for FF and Person C who is Irish votes for Independent but then A & B are deported but they have voted in FF in the area they dont live or reside anymore then its basically a free for all cause if your looking for Asylum here and you get these candidates promising you to help you settle etc then your going with them

ArthurDayne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231357#Comment_122231357

Dilution is a pretty strong word here. Historically our proportion of asylum seekers/ refugees has been low, and therefore their wider influence on local elections fairly negligible. Even now, where we have an unprecedented number of such persons in the State, they represent a very, very low overall percentage of the local election electorate.

Yes, the number of Ukrainians in particular could — in theory — be of significance at a local level in certain areas where there might be relatively higher numbers residing. But they would still have to be motivated enough to actually register to vote, and then actually vote. So the number of them voting could be pretty low regardless (something which even Gript actually subtly acknowledge in one of their articles complaining about the situation, around paragraphs 6 and 7). https://gript.ie/ireland-is-an-outlier-re-non-national-voting-my-german-neighbour-thinks-we-are-mad/

I note as well their reference to "70 non nationals" running in upcoming Local Elections which does seem, in the context of the article about asylum seekers voting, a fairly sneaky conflation when many of those candidates have resided in Ireland for many years. But regardless, we will see from results whether any abnormal patterns emerge that could be attributed to asylum seekers voting.

CollyFlower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231057#Comment_122231057

On the streets of Leeson St.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeqyWY5b/

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231405#Comment_122231405

Well asylum seekers do have a legal right to be here, so you don't need to be worried

Can confirm 100% non EU citizens can vote here.

My GF was here almost 2 year’s without a visa, but has one now & needs to be renewed every year & a letter came 2 weeks ago for her to register to vote. She never bothered & couldn’t actually believe it…

Absolute madness & stinks of corruption of the highest order.

LongfordMB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231300#Comment_122231300

GoSh i wonder which of those two options the irish people would vote for now

Quags

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231477#Comment_122231477

I think the point most people are going at is while those who are not fully approved by the gov to stay in the country they can in fact still vote in the local election so it can give an advantage to the those parties who want be seen as great they are helping us so AS will vote for them but joe public will more than like have to actually deal with the repercussions of this vote as As can be deported tomorrow (it wont happen cause you know, Its McEntee)

tom23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231368#Comment_122231368

Why? Why should someone paying tax, USC and property tax have the same voting rights as an asylum seeker who doesn’t do any of those things? Regardless if they can or not.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231478#Comment_122231478

How is it corruption?

your girlfriend my not care about voting, fair enough, but there are plenty of people who would like to vote in their local elections.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122231507#Comment_122231507

Really, If things were done speedily as they should be when making these decisions, it would be negligible the amount of AS that would be here long enough to vote and then get deported.