On Friday, Ireland goes to the polls to elect its 10th President, and to vote in a referendum to remove or retain the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution. Although the Irish head of State is supposed to represent "all the people of Ireland", citizens living outside the Republic - in the North or overseas - cannot vote for their preferred candidate, unless they have lived away for less than 18 months and fly home to cast their ballot, as we have seen with the #hometovote movement for the referendums on marriage equality and the Eighth Amendment.
If you are making your way back to vote, or watching the coverage from afar annoyed you can’t have your say, we want to hear from you. As an Irish person currently living outside the country, how does this issue impact you? What do you think of the Irish voting system that excludes the vast majority of emigrants? If you are travelling, what are your plans? Why do you think this vote (for President, and/or the referendum on blasphemy) is worth coming back to vote on? What sacrifices (costs, time off work, etc) have you made? If you are unable to vote, are you frustrated? What way would you vote if you could, and why?
You can share your plans and/or opinions (max 300 words) using the form above. Don’t forget to tell us a little about you - where you live now, how long you have been abroad. Please include a photograph of yourself if you have one.
A selection of responses will be used as part of our reporting on the election and referendum, online and/or in print.
Thank you.
