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AUST RALI A’ S I RI S H N E WS PA P E R April, 2017 | Volume 30 – Number 4
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Green ties that bind Different President, same shenanigans SEE PAGE 6
ENDA KENNY OUTLINES PLAN FOR REFERENDUM ON EXTENDING PRESIDENTIAL VOTING RIGHTS
Irish abroad may get vote THE Irish government is to press ahead with a referendum on extending presidential voting rights to citizens living outside the State, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has confirmed. Mr Kenny outlined plans for a public vote on what was a key recommendation made by members of a constitutional convention four years ago. If the change to the Constitution is approved, voting rights would be extended to Irish citizens worldwide, perhaps most notably those living in Northern Ireland. The referendum is unlikely to be held in time to affect next year's presidential election. Any changes would therefore come into operation for the 2025 vote.
The Taoiseach made the announcement at an Irish Famine memorial in Philadelphia during his St Patrick’s Day visit to the United States. “Today's announcement is a profound recognition of the importance that Ireland attaches to all of our citizens, wherever they may be,” he said. “It is an opportunity for us to make our country stronger by allowing all of our citizens resident outside the State, including our emigrants, to vote in future presidential elections. “I am especially pleased to be making this announcement as we prepare for our worldwide celebration of St Patrick’s Day and of all that is Irish.” The Convention On The Constitution brought together Irish citizens and parliamentarians to debate potential changes to the State's legal framework
and make r ecommendations to government. The forum previously recommended the introduction of gay marriage, a move that was endorsed in a historic referendum. Mr Kenny said extending the franchise in presidential elections gave rise to a range of “legal, policy and practical issues”. He said in order to have an informed public debate, the forthcoming government paper would set out the range of options available to give effect to the convention's recommendation. Some 3.6 million Irish citizens abr oad, including r esidents of Northern Ireland who have a right to citizenship, could vote in a presidential election if a referendum is passed. The Departments of Housing and
Foreign Affairs has said in an options paper on the referendum that the potential number of Northern Irish and overseas Irish citizens voting in an election could eclipse the 3.2 million registered to vote within the State. The paper said they were unlikely to swamp domestic voters, if voting follows international trends. It pointed to elections in the UK, Canada and Australia, where large numbers of expatriates are permitted to cast ballots but only a fraction actually do. The turnout for the most recent Presidential election in Ireland was only 56.1 per cent. The Constitutional Convention recommended in 2013 that voting should be extended to the Irish diaspora, bringing Ireland in line with more than 125 countries that allow overseas
citizens the right to vote. Minister for the Diaspora Joe McHugh said the government would consider online voting in a future Irish diaspora vote. The departmental paper said it was not considering internet voting “at this point”. The paper estimates that a referendum would cost between €15 million and €16 million. The registration of voters would cost €1.6 million to €2.4 million. The digitisation of foreign bir th registration records, required to create a voting register, would cost €1 million.
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