Conduction Local Elections

Conducting Local Elections

Local Elections (the election of Councillors) normally take place every five years. The next local elections are due to be held in 2009. Thirty Councillors are elected to Galway County Council.

Nine members are elected to Ballinasloe Urban District Council, Tuam Town Commissioners and Loughrea Town Commissioners. Voters in the above towns have a right to vote in both County Council and town elections.

The County is divided into five local electoral areas to ensure that each part of the county is represented on the County Council. A Chairman is elected each year by the members at the Annual Meeting of the Council.

Who is Entitled to Vote in a Local Election?Persons aged 18 and over are entitled to be registered to vote in a Local Election for the local electoral area in which they ordinarily live. Irish citizenship is not a requirement for eligibility to vote in a local election

Notice of Poll

Local Election Polling Day is prescribed by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the Council is obliged to publish a notice inviting nominations and specifying a date by which completed nomination papers must be submitted to the County Secretary/Returning Officer.

Nomination of Candidates

A candidate for a local election must be an Irish citizen, and may nominate him/herself for election. Nominations may also be made by an elector who is on the register of electors for the electoral area to which the nomination is made, but the candidate must give his/her consent to the nomination. For the purposes of the Local Elections to be held in 2004 a candidate will be required to lodge a deposit which will be refunded if the candidate polls more than a quarter of the quota (the number of votes necessary to ensure election).

Conducting the Election

The County Secretary is the returning officer responsible for the conduct of the election. When nominations are completed, he makes arrangements for holding the election, appoints necessary staff, has ballot papers prepared, and conducts and supervises the election count. The Returning Officer also declares the results of the election.

Polling Scheme

The Council has a "polling scheme" for the county specifying the polling place where electors may vote.

Two Versions of the Register

From 2004, registration authorities will publish two versions of the register:

1. Edited Register 2. Full Register

The edited register will contain the names and addresses of persons who have indicated that their details can be used for a purpose other than electoral or other statutory use, e.g. for direct marketing use by a commercial or other organisation. The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote and once an edited register has been published it can only be used for an electoral or other statutory purpose.