About Register of Electors

Sligo County Council is responsible for the preparation of the Register of Electors for the whole of County Sligo.
The County is divided into five Electoral Areas and these are as follows:-

• Ballymote
• Dromore
• Sligo/Drumcliffe
• Sligo/Strandhill
• Tubbercurry

The Register is updated each year and is in force from February to February.

Only persons whose names appear on the Register will be entitled to vote in Referenda and/or Dail or Local Government and/or European Assembly Elections which may be held during the lifetime of that Register. However, any person/s who missed out on having their name included in time for the publication of the Register may apply to have their name/s included on a Supplement to that Register.

Supplements to the Register are usually prepared only if an election or referendum is called. The closing date for receipt of applications for same must reach the County Council on or before the fourteenth day (Sundays, public holidays and Good Friday excluded) before polling day in order to be considered for that election or Referendum.

Forthcoming Changes

The Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001 makes provision for the preparation of an “edited” version of the Register of Electors omitting the names and addresses of Electors who have requested that the information not be used for purposes other than for which it was provided or other statutory use. The “edited” version of the Register came into force on 1st February, 2005.

Electorate

The number of persons listed on the current 2009/2010 Register of Electors for County Sligo is 50,661.

Elgibility

Any person who is 18 years of age or over or will be 18 by 15th February next, and who is not currently  registered as an Elector in County Sligo or elsewhere is eligible to apply for inclusion. The address given must be their full-time normal place of residence.

Addition of Names

You can have your name included on the Register in any of the following ways.

By giving your name to a Field Officer who may call to your home when the  Register is being updated. They usually call during August, September of each year.

OR

By completing and returning the necessary application form which may be obtained at any Post Office or Garda Station or you can contact Sligo County Council directly.

Removal of Names

Sligo County Council tries insofar as possible to ensure that the Register is kept up to date. However, because people are constantly on the move it can be quite difficult to keep the Register completely accurate. If your name was removed from the Register of Electors it was most probably due to one of the following reasons,

You are or were no longer resident at the address given for you on the Register when it was being updated. This information is generally given to us by Field Officers for the area or by local Gardai .

Polling cards were returned undelivered and marked “Gone away”,  “Unknown at this address”, etc. by An Post .

Before any name is removed, a letter is usually sent to the person at their last known address informing them of the proposal to remove their name and allowing them 10 days to contact the Council if the information is incorrect.

Disabled/Postal Voters

Persons who are unable to attend at the Polling Station due to disability or the circumstances of their employment may apply for inclusion on a Special Voters List, Disabled Postal Voters List or Postal Voters List, depending on their situation. In such circumstances separate application forms must be completed. For further details and application form, contact Sligo County Council.

For any queries in relation to the register or to obtain application forms please contact Sligo county council Mary 071-9111012