Ireland mulls referendum to give presidential vote to citizens abroad

A historic referendum could see people in Northern Ireland given the right to vote in the Irish presidential election for the first time. The Irish Government is drawing up legislation for a referendum that, if successful, would give 1.87 million people here and 1.73m Irish citizens living around the world the franchise, allowing them to vote for the Republic's head of state. Legislation is expected to be ready early next year so that the referendum can be held in May, alongside local and European polls. The granting of voting rights to Irish citizens living outside the Republic was first recommended by the country's Constitutional Convention in 2013, which saw politicians discuss major reforms with 66 randomly selected Irish people.
Read the full article here: Belfast Telegraph