# called for jury duty: not an irish citizen, but on the register of electors.



## Samantha (17 Oct 2007)

I just received this morning a summon to appear for jury duty. I rang them because I am not an irish citizen and therefore I am disqualified for jury duty. The person I had on a phone asking why I was on the dail vote register. I told her I have no clue why my name is in there since I have 
never apply/request it.

Can someone tell how come I am on the vote register and how to amend it?

Thanks


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## ClubMan (17 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*

Even if you are not an _Irish _citizen you may still be entitled to vote in certain elections so your name may be on the electoral register.


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## Samantha (17 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*

Thanks Clubman. That is why I want to amend the registar because as per the person I had on the phone this morning I am registered as Irish citizen.  Don't you need to apply for vote, who decides to put my name as Irish citizen, I find it very strange.


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## huskerdu (17 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*

Updates to the Irish register of electors is not very well organised and the register  is riddled with errors. 
Ask your local authority for the correct form to correct the register.


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## RainyDay (19 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*

THere was a big clean-up done on the electoral register earlier this year in the run up to the election. Is it possible that the person who called to your door to update the register was given your name by whoever answered?


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## olddog (19 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*



RainyDay said:


> THere was a big clean-up done on the electoral register earlier this year in the run up to the election. Is it possible that the person who called to your door to update the register was given your name by whoever answered?



I've been trying to close down one of my two votes for years

I thought that I had done it when earlier this year I got a letter from the local authority saying that if I didnt reply to the letter I would be removed from the register

I didnt reply

I'm still on the register

I can only presume that the local authorities get some form of funding based on the number of voters registered and therefore the is an incentive for them to get as many names on the register as possible


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## RainyDay (19 Oct 2007)

*Re: Vote register*



olddog said:


> I can only presume that the local authorities get some form of funding based on the number of voters registered and therefore the is an incentive for them to get as many names on the register as possible


False presumption.


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## Marie (20 Oct 2007)

Samantha said:


> I just received this morning a summon to appear for jury duty. I rang them because I am not an irish citizen and therefore I am disqualified for jury duty. The person I had on a phone asking why I was on the dail vote register. I told her I have no clue why my name is in there since I have
> never apply/request it.
> 
> Can someone tell how come I am on the vote register and how to amend it?
> ...


 
Samantha - though you are not an Irish citizen presumably you are from the E.U. and normally resident in Ireland.  All _residents _of a country are entered on the Electoral Register and thus eligible for jury duty.  Section 6 of the Juries Act (1976):-

_*6.*—Subject to the provisions of this Act, every citizen aged eighteen years or upwards and under the age of seventy years who is entered in a register of Dáil electors in a jury district shall be qualified and liable to serve as a juror for the trial of all or any issues which are for the time being triable with a jury drawn from that jury district, unless he is for the time being ineligible or disqualified for jury service._

I am an Irishwoman living in UK, am (because I live here - not because I'm British) on the Electoral Register here, and have been called onto a jury in this country.


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## SarahMc (20 Oct 2007)

It is the same electoral register used for everyone, there may be a letter by your name which will indicate which elections you are eligible to vote in.



> *6.*—Subject to the provisions of this Act, every citizen aged eighteen years or upwards and under the age of seventy years who is entered in a register of Dáil electors in a jury district shall be qualified and liable to serve as a juror for the trial of all or any issues which are for the time being triable with a jury drawn from that jury district, unless he is for the time being ineligible or disqualified for jury service.


 
My reading of this, is unless you are an Irish or a British citizen, you cannot sit on a jury.



> Irish citizens can vote in every election and referendum
> British citizens may vote at Dáil, European and local elections


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## Marie (21 Oct 2007)

I would be interested to hear more about how this works.  I can vote in the Irish electoral system (citizen of the State) and in England (residency).  Irish and English friends living elsewhere in the E.U. continue to have voting rights into local by-elections in UK.  Does residency in, for example, France confer rights to vote in the system of the country of residence?

Unclear why SarahMc.  thinks the quoted para indicates only Irish or UK citizens can be on the Irish electoral register - which in itself is internally inconsistent.

As far as the jury duty issue is concerned I always thought that as the system required selection of twelve random members of the community - however constituted - this would/must include universal eligibility.  There would be riots in the streets of Britain if these aspects of state law and governance excluded - for example - Muslims, West Indians, Poles and Africans born elsewhere but living in Britain.


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## SarahMc (22 Oct 2007)

Marie said:


> IUnclear why SarahMc. thinks the quoted para indicates only Irish or UK citizens can be on the Irish electoral register - which in itself is internally inconsistent.


 
Apologies if I am confusing matters.  Only those eligible to vote in the Dail can serve on a jury.  Only Irish and UK citizens can vote for the Dail.

There is only one electoral register which includes all the below categories of people, non Irish and UK citizens will have a letter after their name indicating which category they are.  

*Dáil Elections
*[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Citizens of Ireland and of the UK who are living in Ireland are eligible to vote.

*Local Elections
*You do not have to be a citizen to vote in local elections - all you need is to be living in Ireland.

*European Parliament Elections
*Citizens of the member states of the EU who are living here are eligible to vote.

*Irish Citizens Living Abroad
*Irish citizens who live abroad are not generally eligible to vote in Irish elections.

Irish citizens living in other EU member states have the right to vote in local and European Parliament elections in the member state in which they live.
[/SIZE][/FONT]


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## huskerdu (22 Oct 2007)

Marie said:


> As far as the jury duty issue is concerned I always thought that as the system required selection of twelve random members of the community - however constituted - this would/must include universal eligibility.  There would be riots in the streets of Britain if these aspects of state law and governance excluded - for example - Muslims, West Indians, Poles and Africans born elsewhere but living in Britain.



According the Wikipedia, jury duty in the UK is limited to those on the register of electors, which is EU  and Commonwealth citizens only.


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## Marie (22 Oct 2007)

Yes, agreed.......but your point?  The "Commonwealth Countries" are Antigua and Barbuda;Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe. 

Then there are the newly-joined EU nations.


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