Now that the date has been set for the referendum that will allow us to repeal the 8th, the deadline is also set for the Supplement to the Register of Electors.

Any additions or amendments to the supplement must be made more than 14 days before an election (excluding Sundays and holidays). In the case of the referendum on the 25th of May, this means you MUST have submitted the form by the 8th of May at the very latest. Ideally as soon as possible.

Registering requires form RFA 2 available here.

Change of address from that you are already registered under requires form RFA 3 available here. 

Now that the date is set, if you are still 17 but will be 18 on or before the 25th of May you may register now, using form RFA 2 above.  It is advisable to include a photocopy of your birth certificate.

This also means that if you are going to need a postal vote and are not yet registered for one, you must register by the 27th of April.
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If you require a postal vote due to physical disability or illness you need form PVS 1 available here.
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If you require a postal vote due to circumstances related to your occupation (which includes some students) you need form PVS 2 available here. Check with your employer or institution to be sure you are eligible.

Postal votes are only available within the country, except for some cases where you are abroad on State business (military, Garda or diplomatic service).

We at Bi+ Ireland welcome the news that Minister Bruton has called for a review of the RSE (relationships and sexuality education) curriculum, has identified consent as a priority, and also that LGBTQ+ issues will be addressed.

The current curriculum is sorely lacking in both of these regards, which is failing the young people of this country. We look forward eagerly to learning of what improvements will be made.

Bi+ Ireland were recently invited into Whitehall College of Further Education as part of their LGBTQI Awareness Week

Our coordinator Sharon gave a presentation to staff and faculty on Bisexuality 101 which included bi+ language, ways to support and stand up for the bi+ community, and how to support friends and students who may be bi+, and Sharon's own personal experiences with being bisexual.

The talk was a huge success, and Bi+ Ireland were honoured an proud to be invited to partake in the college's LGBTQI Awareness Week. We'd like to offer huge thanks to Paul Rudden and Conor Kelly  for the work and dedication for organising it.

Bi+ Ireland are available to facilitate workshops, talks and to help educate about bi+ issues and the bi+ community in Ireland. Would you like us to work to your organisation? Get in touch! 

We at Bi+ Ireland are disappointed to see the recent Twitter change that has filtered out community content and resources from the #bisexual hashtag.


On November 3rd, the introduction of search filter changes on the website  included steps for the blocking of potentially sensitive material. This change is believed to have lead to the blocking of photos, video and news searches on #bisexual and related hashtags.


On November 4th, the results were noticed by bi+ organisations and individuals worldwide. They have since been highlighting the issue on Twitter. ​

​Bi+ Ireland Coordinator Sharon Nolan states "This move from Twitter, accidental or otherwise, is damaging to the bi+ community. Due to the high rates of isolation within our community, many of our member's only opportunity to connect to other bi+ people is through the likes of social media. Making it harder for bi+ people to connect is unacceptable."


"The removal of photos from the #bisexual hashtag is likely related to Twitter trying to remove adult content" continues Nolan. "There is still a hypersexualisation of the bisexual identity, which has historically lead to our community being dismissed and misunderstood. We are not just our sex acts or porn, but a community of people who deserve supports and to be able to openly exist."

Currently there is a Change.org petition calling for Twitter to remedy the situation, and many media outlets including the BBC, Pink News and Alternative Press are covering the issue.

There has yet been a public response from Twitter about the situation.
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We talk a lot about visibility in the Bi+ community, but there’s only one way to be visible in the ballot box, and that’s to register to vote and to make it to the polls.

There are several elections planned for 2018 in Ireland (four referenda, including one on the 8th Amendment, and the Presidential election) so it is particularly timely for Irish citizens resident in Ireland who are over 18 or will be on or before the 15th of February 2018, to register.

If you register before the 1st of November 2017 you should be included in the Draft Register of Electors 2018/2019 which will be published on that date.

Even if you are already registered to vote, you should check that draft register when it comes out, as people are sometimes removed in error.

You will be able to apply to change your details in the draft (including adding yourself if you were not included) until Friday the 24th of November 2017. The Register will be published on the 15th of February.

If you change address, or if you did not manage to register by the 24th of November, you can join the Supplementary Register at any time up to 14 working days before an election, including if you are not yet 18 but will be when an election takes place.

Since the upcoming elections are all constitutional referenda and a Presidential election, it’s worth noting that only Irish citizens who are resident in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to vote in these elections—other residents can vote in different types of government election depending on their citizenship, but only citizens have a say on the constitution or the presidency.

If you were born anywhere in Ireland, including Northern Ireland, you have an automatic claim to Irish citizenship and can tick “Irish” when registering to vote. Likewise, if you have a parent who was both an Irish citizen and born in Ireland.

If you have either a parent who was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth but who was not born in Ireland, or if one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, then you can apply for citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration. This can take up to six months.

If you previously registered to vote under another citizenship you should use from RFA2 to change your registration to note that you are Irish. It may be wise to contact your local authority.

Otherwise becoming an Irish citizen requires that you become one through naturalisation, and then use form RFA5 to have your electoral registration reflect this change in citizenship.

If claiming Irish citizenship, note that Ireland allows dual or multiple citizenship with any other country and does not require that you renounce your other citizenship(s). Not all countries allow this from their side though, so check the rules of the citizenship(s) you already have.

You cannot vote if you live abroad with two exceptions:

1. If you are already registered to vote and are living abroad but intend to return to living in Ireland within 18 months then you are entitled to travel to the polling station you are registered at to vote on the election day.
2. If you are abroad due to military or diplomatic service, or with a spouse or civil partner who is abroad for such reasons, then you can vote by post.

Postal voting from within Ireland is available for several circumstances where one is prevented from travelling to one’s polling station. Applications for a postal vote must be received by the 24th of November. The supplement to this list can be applied to up to two days after the order appointing the polling day for an election.