Majority want Irish abroad to get Áras vote

A MAJORITY of voters are in favour of Irish citizens living abroad being allowed to vote in Presidential elections.

Support for the move is strongest among middle-aged women who vote for either the Green Party or Sinn Féin.

That’s the result of an Ireland Thinks poll that also reveals that the over-55s are the biggest supporters of Irish citizens living in the North and elsewhere casting their vote for the Presidency.

The survey shows that those least in favour of granting Irish citizens living abroad the vote are Labour Party and Fine Gael supporters in the 25-44 age group.

But the biggest supporters of all are the Don’t Know voters with 48% of them in favour of granting people living overseas the vote.

The survey was commissioned by Chicago-based businessman and independent senator Billy Lawless and the VotingRights.ie lobby group.

And the overall result shows that just over half of those polled were in favour of Irish citizens living abroad being granted the right to vote in the Republic’s Presidential elections.

Up to 1,500 people were questioned in the poll that was carried out just before Christmas.

And according to Mr Lawless, the results should become part of any programme for government coalition deal agreed between political parties going into government together.

The Galway-born businessman has lived in the US for several years and was appointed to the Seanad in 2016 by former taoiseach Enda Kenny.

‘I’m very pleased with the result. It shows that 50-55% are in favour – it’s winnable,’ Mr Lawless said.

‘The old arguments are there of course but I’m delighted. I want this to be part of the programme for government… Sinn Féin will certainly include it and the taoiseach, tánaiste and minister for the diaspora are hugely in favour of it.

‘We are only one of three or four countries in Europe who don’t give citizens abroad a vote.

‘We think the vote should be given to Irish citizens and we are not in favour of the vote been given to people living abroad who were born in Ireland. We don’t want any second-class citizens.’

He added: ‘My research over the last year or two shows that those living abroad vote within 2-3% either way of the vote in their home country.’