Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898

Election and qualification of councillors.

2.(1) The councillors of a county shall (subject to the provisions herein-after contained with respect to additional members) be elected by the local government electors for the county.

(2) The councillors shall hold office for a term of three years and shall then retire together, and their places shall be filled by a new election.

(3) The number of councillors and the divisions in every county for their election (in this Act referred to as county electoral divisions) shall be those provided by an order of the Local Government Board made before the first day of January next after the passing of this Act, subject. . . . to alteration in manner provided in pursuance of this Act:

Provided that—

(a) One councillor only shall be elected for each county electoral division except where an urban district forming one such division returns more than one councillor; and

(b) The county electoral divisions shall be arranged with a view to the population of each division being, so nearly as conveniently may be, equal, regard being had to a proper representation both of the rural and urban population, and to the distribution and pursuits of such population, and to the last published census for the time being, and to evidence of any considerable change of population since such census.

(4) At an election for a county, each elector may give in a county electoral division one vote and no more, or in case of an urban district forming one county electoral division and returning more than one councillor, one vote and no more for each of any number of persons not exceeding the number of councillors to be elected for that division, and shall not vote at the same election in more than one county electoral division of the county.

(5) A person shall not be qualified to be elected or to be a councillor for a county, unless he is a local government elector for such county.