Firstly make sure you've registered to vote. You can do this by heading to checktheregister.ie
If your details don’t appear, contact your local council.
If the council confirms you’re not registered to vote, unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do as the deadline was 8 May.
The location of your polling station will be on your polling card or online.
If you haven’t received this, your council will be able to steer you in the right direction.
Don't forget that Polls opened at 7 am and close at 10 pm tonight.
Bringing your polling card will make the process of voting easier for you and for staff at the polling station.
If you don't have it, you will need to bring some form of ID.
Here's what is accepted:
A passport
A driving licence
An employee identity card containing a photograph
A student identity card containing a photograph
A bank, saving or credit union book containing your address
A Public Services Card
Even if you have your polling card, you may still be asked for ID.
Next, canvassing is not allowed within 50 metres of a polling station, and is classed as an offence.
The usual advice is that a presiding officer could consider other campaigning material like badges or marked clothing as canvassing.
It's recommended to err on the side of caution and to consider leaving this sort of material at home so you know you will be able to vote quickly, easily, without impacting others.
Taking photos or filming a video are both not allowed in the polling station. This is to maintain the ballot secrecy.
Selfies are explicitly banned in the guidelines for staff.
Even if you are waiving your own secrecy by taking a selfie of yourself with your own vote, you could still be catching someone else in the background.
It's recommend keeping your phone in your pocket and on silent just to be sure.
Once you’re 50 metres away from the polling station, feel free to take as many selfies as you like.
When it comes to the act of voting
Do not write anything else on your ballot paper except for an X to mark your vote.
If you write anything else, you run the risk of your vote being deemed to be spoilt, and it won't be counted.
If you want to repeal the Eighth Amendment, place an X in the Yes box.
If you want to retain the Eighth Amendment, place an X in the No box.
If you make a mistake, inform a member of staff immediately and do not place it in the ballot box. If they are satisfied it is an honest mistake, you will be given a new voting slip.
Don't forget to fold your vote and put in the ballot box.
And finally, it's 'referendums' rather than 'referenda'.
While both are acceptable as the plural for referendum, the Commission prefers to use 'referendums' as per the Oxford English dictionary.
