President Michael D Higgins has formally dissolved the Dáil to mark the beginning of the General Election campaign that will conclude with polling day on Friday 29 November.
General election 2024 will decide what Teachtaí Dála (TDs) sit in the Dáil in the Oireachtas.
The number of TDs and constituencies will both increase for the 2024 election after a 2023 review.
There are now 43 Dáil constituencies (up from 39 in 2020) which will elect between three and five TDs each. A total number of 174 TDs will be selected, up from 160 in 2020.
How will votes be counted?
Ireland elects its government using a system of proportional representation in single transferable vote.
Voters must rank candidates in order of preference, voting for as many or as few as they like. Candidates must reach a certain number of votes in order to be elected.
That number is decided for each constituency using a mathematical formula based on the number of seats available and the number of votes that have been cast.
Each ballot is initially credited to the first choice. Once a candidate receives the number of votes required, they are elected and any remaining ballots with them as first choice are transferred to the next ranked preferences.
Ballots will continue to be transferred to the next usable preference until all of the seats in the constituency are filled with candidates who have reached the quota.
What parties are standing in the election?
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael emerged following a split in nationalist opinion over the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty.
Fianna Fáil was once seen as more centrist, Fine Gael as more conservative, but differences have blurred and both are now centre-right parties.
Sinn Féin made significant gains and topped the popular vote in 2019 winning 37 seats, while Fianna Fáil won 38 and Fine Gael ended up with 35.
To gain a governing majority, a coalition was formed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
Other parties that will put forward candidates for the upcoming election include Labour, Social Democrats, PBP-Solidarity, Independent Ireland and Aontú.
When will votes be counted?
Ballot boxes will be sent to the constituency count centre after polls close but counting will not start until the following morning. The count can sometimes last several days.
How do you register to vote?
The deadline for registering to vote in this election is 12 November. Applications can be made online – check the registry and register to vote here.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and be an ordinary resident at an address in the Republic of Ireland.
16 and 17 year olds can also apply to be on a pending elector list to be moved onto the live electoral register when they turn 18, and people who are homeless or have no address can still register to vote by stating that they have “no fixed address“.
2024 General Election New Constituencies
