---

Graduates must register for new Seanad system

The Government has urged graduates to register to vote in a new Seanad constituency that is being set up because of a Supreme Court ruling in 2023.

Elections are currently taking place in the National University of Ireland (NUI) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) constituencies, which will elect three Seanad members each, but these will be the last under the current rules.

A new electoral register is being created for future Seanad elections, with thousands of additional people now eligible.

New constituency

Under legislation enacted last year, graduates who are Irish citizens and who hold a degree from a designated institution of higher education in Ireland will be eligible to elect university members of the Seanad.

A new six-seat ‘Higher Education’ constituency for electing university members will replace the existing NUI and Trinity constituencies.

The legislation came after the Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the constitutionality of the laws governing the elections of Seanad university panels.

It decided, however, to suspend until 31 May 2025 a declaration that the laws were invalid, giving the Oireachtas more time to change the existing system.

Deadline of 23 January

Darragh O’Brien (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage) urged people to check if they were eligible to vote under the new rules and, if so, to register.

Applications to be included in the first Register of Electors for the new constituency can be made online to the Central Registration Authority via www.seanadvoter.ie or by post until 23 January 2025.

Those applying will need to provide some personal data – including a PPS number and a photo of their passport. The website also includes a list of designated higher-education institutions.

The register will be published and come into force on 1 April 2025. An annual revision process will begin in 2026, and the updated register will be published on 1 June every year.

People currently on the NUI and Trinity College Dublin registers will not be automatically added to the new expanded register and will have to re-register on www.seanadvoter.ie.