Sir, – Ciarán MacGuill (Letters, November 1st) is critical of the inability of Irish citizens abroad to vote in Irish elections. I would submit that the question of Irish citizens being able to vote from abroad does not have such a straightforward answer.
It is reasonable to argue that only resident citizens of Ireland, who have to bear the consequences of electoral decisions, should be able to vote in national elections. As it stands, Irish citizens who are abroad on a short-term basis can continue to vote in Irish elections.
Ireland has a very significant population abroad who are entitled to Irish citizenship, yet do not intend to reside here.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an international body with UN observer status, notes that when voting from abroad “the pattern of political support among external voters can differ significantly from that among domestic voters”.
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Is it democratic that the outcome of an Irish election and consequent government could be decided by people who do not, nor intend to, live here?
– Yours, etc,
CONALL DORAN,
Tonaphubble,
Sligo.