ieExplains: Do I need my polling card? Here's what to do (and what not to do) when voting
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On Friday, the Irish public will go to the polls in a general election for the first since 2020, with millions casting their vote to fill the 34th Dáil.
If this is your first election or if you’re still unsure about how exactly the day will go, we are here to explain.
Before Friday, you should have received a polling card with information about where you need to go to vote.
It is not necessary to do so, but you can take this with you when you go to your station. If you have not got a polling card, you can see if you are registered to vote and check where your polling station is at CheckTheRegister.ie.
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You do need to bring photo identification — this can be a passport, driving licence, Public Services Card, workplace identity card, student identity card, or a travel document.
If you do not get a polling card, you can find your polling station on your local authority’s website.
When you arrive at the polling station, there may be signs directing you to where exactly you will vote.
Once there, you will be asked your name and address. In some cases, you may be asked for identification.
Once the polling station staff are happy and everything is checked, you will be handed a stamped ballot paper. If your papers are not stamped, they will not be counted. Feel free to ask if the presiding officer forgets or if the ballot is not stamped.
You then take your ballot papers to the voting booth, which is, generally, a four-sided table or shelf with privacy screens.
The vote will take place on Friday, November 29.
Polling stations will open from 7am to 10pm. You can vote whenever you want, as long as it is within that timeframe.
Ireland uses the proportional representation single transferable vote (PR-STV) system.
That means you can vote for as many or as few candidates as you like, in order of preference.
There will be pencils provided by polling station staff, but you are allowed to bring your own pen if you prefer.
Your ballot paper will list candidates in alphabetical order, with party logos and a picture of the candidate.
You vote in order of your own preference. In the box beside the photograph of your first choice of candidate, indicate your preference by writing "1". If you wish, write "2" beside the photograph of your second choice of candidate. You can continue numerically and give a vote to as many or as few candidates as you like.
Under PR-STV, if you vote for a number of candidates, your vote is transferred from your first choice to your second choice if your number one candidate has been eliminated or already elected.
That is entirely up to you. You can only vote for one candidate, or you can give a preference to as many candidates on the ballot as you wish.
If you do not want a person or candidate to get elected, leave their box empty.
Once you have finished filling out the ballot, you take it to the box either on or beside the table where you received your papers and drop them in. If you are unsure of where to put the ballot, the staff will be able to help.
No. You should not take any pictures inside the polling station or while voting.
The vote is a secret ballot, which means that if you take selfies or post pictures online that reveal who you, or someone else, voted for, you could be prosecuted.
Votes will start to be counted on Saturday, November 30, with results expected to be announced from Saturday evening.