IRELAND'S Constitutional Convention will meet at the end of this month when they will discuss the possibility of giving Irish citizens living abroad the right to vote in the country’s Presidential elections.
Here is your need-to know-guide about the Convention:
What will happen?
- The Convention’s 100 members will meet on Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29 to discuss voting rights for the Irish abroad.
- They will be addressed by a range of constitutional experts, advocacy groups and other individuals.
- They will discuss the issues raised in small groups and then as one group.
- They will decide what issues to vote on.
- They will vote.
What will they discuss?
- Giving Irish citizens living abroad the right to vote in Ireland’s Presidential elections.
- How that voting should take place.
- Whether that right should be extend to second and third generation Irish citizens living abroad, as well as people born in Ireland.
What else might they discuss?
- Limiting the Presidential vote to those who left Ireland within a certain number of years.
- Giving Irish citizens living abroad the right to vote in Dáil elections.
- How that could be done.
What then?
- The Convention will agree a number of recommendations for Constitutional change and send them to the Irish Parliament.
- The Irish Parliament will debate each recommendation within four months.
- If the Irish Parliament accepts a recommendation, it will hold a national referendum on the matter.
How can you get involved?
- Writing to the Convention.
- Taking the Federation of Irish Societies’ survey.
- Taking the Convention’s survey.
- Attending the Labour Party Irish Society’s public debate in London.
- Attending a talk by the Convention’s chair at the London School of Economics.
- Watching the Convention’s meeting live via its website.
- Tweeting your thoughts using the hashtag #ccven.
