Forty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Voting Rights in Presidential Elections) Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-30
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Emer Higgins (FG), Dublin Mid-West

When I was abroad, I had the opportunity to meet very active Irish communities in Sweden and Denmark. I am pleased Irish politicians get the opportunity to engage with so many Irish living across the world. Throughout 2025, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, led the most intensive consultation ever undertaken with the Irish abroad. The centrepiece of the process was a series of formal consultations led by Ministers in 27 cities across 17 countries, including Ireland. Just under 500 individuals attended these discussions, with over 250 organisations represented. In addition to the formal public consultations, the strategy was informed by engagements with a range of stakeholders from the Oireachtas, civil society, NGOs, community and cultural movements and groups, business networks and academic institutions at home and abroad.
The in-person consultations were supplemented by the Global Irish Survey, our first ever online survey of the Irish abroad. That consultation launched on 7 July 2025 and ran for seven weeks throughout the summer of 2025. Over 10,000 responses were received. The overall response to this open and expansive approach in person and online was very positive. In a changing and complex world, building an enduring relationship with the diaspora remains as significant as ever to our national identity. Our new strategy reflects the commitment of the Government to work with the diaspora on a new and unprecedented chapter in diaspora relations. There are 23 commitments and they focus directly on the challenges and opportunities identified by the Irish abroad during the consultation process. Given my portfolio, I welcome the commitment to open doors for those from under-represented groups to engage with Ireland.
I will deal with the substance of the Deputy's Bill, which is votes for citizens outside our jurisdiction. As I understand it, the Bill seeks to extend the presidential franchise to citizens resident in Northern Ireland. The issue of voting rights in Irish presidential elections was debated in the Northern Ireland Assembly last year. We have also been supportive of the work undertaken by the Convention on the Constitution. This matter is not without challenges. At an operational level, a number of implementation issues will have to be addressed, including the establishment of an online-based voter registration and the extension of postal voting.
Before that, we are all aware that extending the franchise will require constitutional change. It is important, as we have this discussion, that we do not underestimate the challenge constitutional change brings. In the course of the last Government we held two referendums and both were defeated. I believe in expanding the presidential franchise to all Irish citizens, regardless of where they live on this island or around the world, but to get to that point we have to win that debate. When you hold a referendum, you need to be, as we found out, in a position to win, and preferably to win strongly. If you do not, then the chance to extend the franchise will be lost for a generation.
When this debate arises, the Government is often accused of not supporting an extension because we would not like the result. Like all here this evening, I am a democrat, I was democratically elected and I would not support approaching the matter in an undemocratic way, but we have to be clear as to what is possible. Holding a referendum is a political decision that needs to be taken by the government of the day. I assure the Dáil that this Government is reflecting on this issue for that exact reason.
I have a number of speaking points in relation to deepening ties with the global Irish but I appreciate the Deputy's comments that he would like the debate to focus on the specifics of the Bill, which concern citizens resident on the island of Ireland. While those comments have been circulated, I will take the Deputy's feedback on board and leave it at that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-30