VotingRights.ie has released the second edition of The Citizenship Papers, a landmark collection of essays and proposals on the future of Irish democracy. Bringing together voices from both sides of the border and around the world, the papers examine what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century—and why the right to vote should never depend on where a person lives.
Ireland today maintains one of Europe’s most restrictive voting systems. Citizens living in Northern Ireland or overseas are still denied participation in national political life, including Presidential elections. Their exclusion leaves Ireland with what we believe is a democratic deficit at the very heart of the republic.
As we re-release The Citizenship Papers, we are calling for specific reforms: to extend voting rights to all Irish citizens abroad, create Seanad representation for Northern and global Irish citizens, reestablish a Minister for Electoral Reform, establish a universal postal voting system, and align Ireland with EU democratic norms and reflect its commitment to freedom of movement and inclusion.
At a time when Ireland’s global connections have never been stronger, these reforms are both necessary and timely. Irish citizens abroad advance trade, diplomacy, and culture; their voices must also help shape the nation’s democratic future. As the publication emphasises, deciding who gets to vote is not a technical issue; it is a defining question for Ireland’s next century.
Read The Citizenship Papers at citizenshippapers.ie.
Download the VotingRights.ie press statement:
Voting Rights.ie 