Local Elections

When:
Local Government Elections must be held every 5 years. The local elections will be next year in 2024 (May or June). The exact date needs to be decided by government. 

Who can vote?
Every person over 18 years whose name is included in the electoral register is entitled to vote in the local area in which s/he lives. It is not necessary to be an Irish citizen to vote in a Local Election. Therefore many migrants and people from new communities can vote in local elections. 

Who can be elected?
Persons over 18 years of age who are registered voters are eligible for election to Local Government except persons who are Government Ministers, Ministers of State, Members of the Gardai and the Defence Forces and certain groups of public employees. The grounds for disqualification include failure to pay money due to a local authority and certain court convictions and prison sentences.

Nomination of Candidates:
Candidates must be nominated one month before polling day.

How:

There are 31 Local Government Authorities in Ireland

In total there are 137 electoral areas in Ireland and each of them elects a number of Councillors. The number of County and City Councillors to be elected is 949. They make policy decisions at local level, such as: 

• adopt the annual budget with democratic accountability for all expenditure by local authority
• appointment, suspension or removal of CEO - oversight and monitoring of work of CEO
• adoption of integrated local economic and community development plans and service delivery plans
• greater decision-making role in local enterprise and economic development in local and community development activities
• substantial range of functions at district level on a fully devolved basis including: a local policy/regulatory role in areas such as planning, roads, traffic, housing, environmental services, recreation, amenity and community development; formal civic functions; a general representational and oversight role; and citizen/community engagement. The scope for further devolution of functions to local government will be pursued through ongoing engagement with relevant Government Departments. More far-reaching expansion of the local government remit will be pursued on an ongoing basis as the reforms across the local government system take effect.
• Local government will also have a central role in the oversight and planning of local and community development programmes, through arrangements based on the report of a Steering Group on the alignment of the local government and local development sectors.

To make sure you are registered to vote in local elections, check www.checktheregister.ie

For more Reading: 

The Powers and Functions of Local Authorities

Candidate Profile Eileen (fictitious)

Candidate Profile Seamus (fictitious)