Electoral Act, 1923

Voting by postal Voters.

21.—(1) Every Dáil or Seanad elector in any county or borough constituency who is a member of the defence force of Saorstát Eireann on full pay shall, if he so desires, be entered on the postal voters list of his constituency.

(2) The name of every elector in a University constituency shall be entered on the postal voters list for that constituency.

(3) Every elector whose name is on the postal voters list for any constituency shall be entitled to vote by sending his ballot paper by post to the returning officer, but shall not, so long as his name is on that list, be entitled to vote in any other manner.

(4) The returning officer shall, in the case of a contested Dáil election, as soon as practicable after the adjournment of the election, and in the case of a Seanad election or a Referendum, as soon as practicable after the issue of the proclamation appointing the day on which same is to be held or taken, send a ballot paper to each elector whose name is on the postal voters' list and who is entitled to vote at that election or Referendum to the address recorded by the registration officer, together with a declaration of identity in the prescribed form, and if such ballot paper duly marked by the postal voter and accompanied by the declaration of identity duly signed and authenticated is received by the returning officer before the close of the poll it shall be counted by him and treated for all purposes in the same manner as a ballot paper placed in the ballot box in the ordinary way.

(5) The returning officer in sending out, receiving and otherwise dealing with the ballot papers of postal voters shall observe the rules contained in the Fourth Schedule to this Act and such further rules (not being inconsistent with the rules aforesaid) as shall from time to time be made by the Minister for Local Government.