Register of Electors statistics 1998 - 2026

Under Section 20 of the Electoral Act 1992 (as amended by Section 97 (a) of the Electoral Reform Act 2022), registration authorities are responsible for compiling and maintaining a complete and accurate Register of Electors. Each of the 31 registration authorities in Ireland are responsible for the maintenance of the Register of Electors in their functional area. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage requests Register of Electors statistics from registration authorities, compiles and publishes the data. Prior to 2023, the Registers of Electors statistics were compiled annually in February (when the registers were finalised). Following modernisation of the registration process through the Electoral Reform Act 2022, the Registers of Electors became continuous or “rolling”, with no deadlines for registration except before electoral events. As a result, Register of Electors statistics can now be compiled as required.

This dataset provides a breakdown of the number of Presidential electors, Dáil electors, European electors and local electors on a local authority basis. Presidential electors are entitled to vote at all elections and referendums. Dáil electors are entitled to vote in Dáil elections. This includes British electors registered to vote in Ireland. European electors are entitled to vote in European Parliament elections. This includes citizens of other EU countries who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. Local electors are entitled to vote in local elections. This includes all persons who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. The dataset also shows the number of postal and special voters in each local authority area registered to vote. Postal voters vote in elections and referendums by postal ballot, while special voters vote in nursing homes, mental health or similar care facilities, where they are resident.

It should be noted that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is not responsible for the accuracy of this data, which is a compilation of data supplied by local authorities.