THE COUNTRY GOES to the polls today, and thousands will cast their vote in the 2024 general election.

It’s crucial that you get to have your say on who will lead the country in the next government.

The process itself is pretty simple — here’s everything you need to know.

What am I voting on?

Who you want to represent you and your constituency in the 34th Dáil.

Who should I vote for?

Use our Candidate Database to decide. You can look up your constituency, see who is running, and read their answers to some crucial questions.

Make sure you’re registered

If you’re not registered, you won’t be able to vote.

Visit CheckTheRegister.ie to — as the name suggests — check the register and make sure your details are there.

If your details don’t appear but believe you are registered, contact your local council.

But I haven’t received my polling card!

You don’t need it, but do bring it if you have it.

Find your polling station and get there by 10pm

The location of your polling station will be written on your polling card.

If you haven’t received a polling card, your local council will be able to guide you. It will also appear under your details on CheckTheRegister.ie.

You can only vote at the polling station you are registered with.

Polls opened at 7am and close at 10pm. The rules state that if you’re in the door before 10pm, you’ll be allowed to vote.

Bring ID (even if you have your polling card)

Your passport or driving licence will be grand, but here’s a full list of what is accepted.

While your polling card isn’t absolutely necessary, we still recommend bringing it. The same goes for proof of address, as it will help speed things along if there’s any confusion or issue with the information the polling station has about you, but don’t stress about it.

How do I actually cast my vote?

Once in the polling station, you give your name and address to the presiding officer. If they’re happy with your details, they’ll stamp the ballot paper and direct you to a booth. You’ll find a pencil there to fill in your vote (use your own pen if you want, pencil is only used as it’s less likely to wash away if the papers get wet).

Just list the candidates in order of your preference — 1 beside your first preference, 2 beside your second, and so on. Write anything else on the ballot paper and you risk spoiling your vote. You can vote for as many or as few candidates as you like.

Once you’ve done that, fold it and pop it into the ballot box as directed.

Can I bring notes into the polling booth to help me remember who I plan to vote for?

Yes. Remember the Candidate Database mentioned earlier? Use that to help plan who to vote for.

Be careful with campaign material and clothing

Canvassing — described as leafleting, displaying posters, or using a loudspeaker — is not allowed within 50 metres of a polling station, and you could be arrested for it.

Candidates, their agents, party workers, electors (that’s you) and personation agents are allowed to wear party emblems as long as they are not “unduly obstructive or offensive”.

However, what is classed as a party emblem, and in what manner it could be considered unduly obstructive or offensive, isn’t well-defined.

It’s up to the discretion of the presiding officer. If there’s an issue, you may be asked to cover the offending item up, or another arrangement put in place to allow you and others to vote quickly and easily.

Shush! And put your phone away

You can talk to staff, but avoid speaking to other voters. This is most important at the polling booth. It might be an innocent conversation, but polling station staff have a duty to make sure people are able to vote with ease and without interference, and to ensure no canvassing is taking place.

Photography is prohibited in polling stations so just put your phone away until you leave.

Supports for disabled voters

You can find detailed information about the supports available here.

When will we know the result?

You’ll hear of the first people getting elected by Saturday afternoon or evening, but counting will continue through Sunday and maybe even into Monday (longer still if there are legal challenges or particularly thorny recounts).

After that comes the government formation talks, which could take a few weeks.