Any person with no fixed address will have found it difficult to register to vote for the upcoming election, even though people who are homeless – or are in prison – can technically vote.
In order to vote from prison, which has been legal in Ireland since 2006, a prisoner must apply to be included in the postal vote. In order to apply for this a person must have a home address. In the May 2019 election, there was a high turnout for those registered with 143 voting out of 224 prisoners recorded as registered.
Fíona Ní Chinnéide from the Irish Penal Reform Trust says this is a missed opportunity. “It would be great to see more TDs and members of government ministers going to prisons. Yes, in advance of elections but also generally,” she said.
“It’s not a huge voting demographic but I think it should definitely play a part in engaging voting in communities that are less likely to vote. It’s promoting active citizenship, so it’s an opportunity when it comes to their release that their experience of engaging with political rights in prison will come out in to the community with them.”
Responsibility
Addresses are also an issue for homeless people who wish to vote. Fr Peter McVerry, whose main work is with the homelessness charity he established, has said its very difficult for homeless people to have a say in the state that has a responsibility to them.
“Where do you register if you’re homeless and you’re living in a hostel and maybe every few months you move to a different hostel?” he said. “It’s very difficult first to know where to register, then to have the interest in voting.”