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Your Vote is Your Voice

All About PollPal

PollPal is an AI-powered chatbot from An Coimisiún Toghcháin that helps you find information about voting and elections in Ireland. It uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology and content from three websites to respond to user questions.

The three websites are electoralcommission.ie, neds.ie and citizensinformation.ie.

Pollpal is in a pilot phase since commencing in November 2026, allowing us to test and improve the service.

The chatbot is designed to support people using electoralcommission.ie and direct them to related information.

Pollpal allows you to ask questions in plain language and receive answers based on information published on the three websites.

It can help you:

  • Find relevant information more quickly
  • Understand complex topics in simpler terms
  • Discover related pages you may find useful

AI-generated responses may not always be fully accurate. Because of how generative AI works, the system cannot predict or control every response. This means it may occasionally produce errors or incomplete answers.

How does the chatbot work?

When you ask a question, PollPal:

  1. Searches for relevant pages on the three named websites
  2. Selects the most relevant information
  3. Uses AI to summarise that information into a clear response

The chatbot does not search the wider internet. Where possible, the chatbot shows links to the source pages it used so you can check the original information.

Technology used

The system is hosted on AWS infrastructure in the eu-west-1 region and uses Google Gemini services to generate responses.

What information does the chatbot use?

The chatbot uses content from the three websites only.

The chatbot:

  • Does not have access to personal records
  • Does not have access to internal An Coimisiún Toghcháin systems
  • Cannot see or retrieve information about you
  • Cannot answer questions about information not published on the three websites

The information used by the chatbot is updated when content on the source websites is updated

Using the chatbot

To help keep the service running smoothly for everyone, there are fair usage limits in place. If you send a large number of messages in a short time, you may be asked to wait briefly before sending another question.

It currently supports:

  • English
  • Irish and other languages (if you ask a question in Irish or another language, PollPal will respond in that language).
  • Suggested follow-up questions
  • Links to source pages
  • Export options (for example PDF or text formats)
  • Feedback options to rate responses or report issues

You do not need to give any personal information to use the chatbot.

Privacy and data protection

Do not share personal information. You should not enter personal or sensitive information when using PollPal.

This includes:

  • Your name or address
  • Your Personal Public Service number (PPS number)
  • Date of birth
  • Financial information

What data we collect

When you use PollPal we may collect:

  • The questions you ask
  • The responses generated by the chatbot
  • Feedback you choose to provide (such as likes, dislikes, or reports)
  • Basic technical information, such as browser type and time of interaction

We do not collect any personal information about you and the chatbot does not learn from your input to personalise its responses.

You do not need to create an account or log in to use PollPal

How we use your data

We use this data to:

  • Generate responses to your questions
  • Monitor and improve the quality and accuracy of the chatbot
  • Understand which topics are most commonly asked about
  • Identify gaps or issues in our public information

Where data is processed

PollPal is hosted on AWS cloud infrastructure in the eu-west-1 region. User questions and relevant conversation context are processed securely using Google Gemini services in order to generate responses.

Data retention

During the pilot phase, conversation data may be retained for evaluation, quality assurance, and service improvement. Specific retention periods will be published once the pilot phase concludes and data retention policies are finalised.

Your rights

An Coimisiún Toghcháin is the data controller for PollPal. Under data protection law, you have rights including:

  • The right to access your personal data
  • The right to correct inaccurate data
  • The right to have your data deleted in certain circumstances
  • The right to object to certain types of processing

If you have questions about how we handle your data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@electoralcommission.ie

More information is available in our Privacy statement.

Accuracy and limitations

AI-generated responses may not always be fully accurate. Because of how generative AI works, the system cannot predict or control every response. This means it may occasionally produce errors or incomplete answers.

The chatbot:

  • May not always provide complete or fully accurate information
  • May not be able to access the information you’re seeking if it’s not included within the three websites which it can access
  • Cannot provide legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice
  • Cannot help with queries about individual situations, for example where your local polling station is located or your specific entry on the electoral register as this information is held by the parties which administer elections such as local authorities or returning officers.

You should always check important information.

For complex queries please contact An Coimisiún Toghcháin directly at https://www.electoralcommission.ie/contact-us/ or by phone to 01 539 1040.

Giving feedback

Your feedback helps us improve PollPal

You can use the feedback options within the chatbot to:

  • Like or dislike responses
  • Report incorrect or unclear information

You can also send feedback specific to PollPal or our website to: communications@electoralcommission.ie

Responsible use of AI

We are committed to the responsible use of AI in public services. An Coimisiún Toghcháin has adopted the principles set out in the Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) “Guidelines for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service”.

PollPal follows Ireland’s Guidelines for Responsible AI in the Public Service including:

  • Being transparent when users are interacting with an AI system
  • Protecting user privacy and personal data
  • Clearly explaining limitations and accuracy risks
  • Providing human alternatives and oversight
  • Monitoring and improving the system on an ongoing basis

About this pilot

PollPal is currently in a pilot phase since launching in November 2026.

This means:

  • We are testing the service and gathering user feedback
  • Some features and wording may change based on what we learn
  • We are working to improve accuracy and usefulness

The pilot will help us assess how the chatbot performs, how helpful it is for people looking for information about Ireland’s elections and voting, and how it should develop in the future.