Presidential election 2025: How to register, how to vote and how the count works
Ottoline Spearman
The presidential election will take place on Friday, October 24th, with the deadline to register and update your details for in-person voting on Tuesday, October 7th.
Here is everything you need to know about how to register to vote, how the voting system works and how ballots are counted.
How do I register to vote?
You will first need to check if you are entitled to vote. The following requirements, as specified in the voter eligibility page, are needed:
- An Irish citizen; and
- Aged 18 or over; and
- Ordinarily resident in Ireland; and
- Registered to vote.
You can go to checktheregister.ie to register to vote, update your name, or update your address. These steps can all be done fully online.
The last date to register to vote in the general election is Tuesday, October 7th.
Once you are registered to vote, a polling information card will be posted to your registered home address before polling day. You do not need your polling information card to vote, but it can be helpful to have it with you.
How do I vote in person?
Polling will take place on Friday, October 24th, between 7am and 10pm.
The polling information card, which will be sent to your address once you register to vote, includes: your elector number, the name of the polling station where you will go to vote, a formal statement explaining which election you will be voting in, and the opening and closing times of your polling station.
When you arrive at the polling station, you will need to state your name and address, and show your ID. You will then be provided with a ballot paper to fill in.
Filling your ballot paper in correctly is vital to having your vote count.
You must ensure that you express your preference or preferences on your ballot paper beginning with 1 and continuing 2, 3, etc for as many or as few as you wish.
The number '1' denotes your first choice candidate, the number '2' second choice candidate and so on.
- By marking a ‘1’ beside a candidate, you are saying ‘I wish to vote for this candidate.’
- By marking a ‘2’ beside a candidate, you are saying ‘If my first choice candidate does not need my vote because they have already been elected or excluded from the count, I want my vote to go to this second candidate.’
So, make sure to start with 1 on your ballot paper; otherwise, your vote will not be counted.
If you do not want to fill out a preference for all candidates on the ballot paper, the box beside those you are not voting for must be left empty.
Do not make any other mark on the ballot paper. If you do, your vote may be considered invalid/spoilt and not counted.
When you have voted, you should fold your ballot paper, return and place it into the ballot box at the same station.
If you are visually impaired, a Ballot Paper Template will be available at every polling station, and you can use it to cast your vote. Find more information on our accessible voting page.
Can I vote by post?
You may be eligible for a postal vote under certain conditions; however, the deadline to register for a postal vote has already passed.
How does the count work?
Vote counting will start at 9am on Saturday, October 25th.
Voting is by secret ballot and based on proportional representation by the single transferable vote.
Ballot papers are first sorted by first preference vote for each candidate. The quota is then calculated - which is 50% of valid votes plus one, as only a single position has to be filled for president. The candidate who receives the quota, or above is then elected.
If no candidate is elected, the person with the lowest number of first preference votes is excluded, and their votes are transferred to the next preference.
Given that there are only three presidential candidates, we could see the president elected as early as Saturday evening.
