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Your Vote is Your Voice

Referendums

As Ireland’s independent electoral commission, it is our responsibility to prepare impartial and unbiased information about referendum proposals and make that information available to the public.

We prepare impartial statements containing a general explanation of the subject matter of the proposal for the referendum concerned and distribute those statements through an information booklet, television ads, radio, newspapers, social media and other forms of media to bring them to the attention of the public. We are committed to ensuring that all information we provide is accessible for those with a disability.

What is a referendum?

In Ireland, there are two kinds of referendum that can take place – a constitutional referendum and an ordinary referendum.

The Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) is the fundamental legal document that sets out how Ireland should be governed.

The Constitution can only be amended if the proposed change has been approved by the people of Ireland in a constitutional referendum. This gives the people of Ireland the chance to decide whether or not the wording of the Constitution will change.

To hold a Constitutional Referendum, a Bill must first be introduced in the Dáil, setting out the wording of the proposed amendment. If both the Dáil and the Seanad pass the Bill, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage makes an order specifying the polling day for the referendum.

All Irish citizens who are on the Register of Electors, the Postal Voters List or the Special Voters List can vote in a referendum.

If the majority of the votes are in favour of the proposal to amend the Constitution, and no petition challenging the result is presented to the High Court within seven days of its publication, then the President of Ireland signs the Bill and the Constitution is amended.

If the majority of votes are cast against the proposal to amend the Constitution, then there is no change and the Constitution remains as it was before the referendum vote.

Previous referendums in Ireland

You can read about the previous referendums that have taken place in Ireland to date. Please note, the dates on the timeline below refer to the date the referendum took place.

More detailed information on referendum proposals, information booklets and campaign materials are available on our previous referendums page.

Timeline of previous referendums in Ireland

08 March 2024

39th Amendment and 40th Amendment
Family and Care


Year: 2024
Rejected

08 March 2024
11 June 2019

38th Amendment
Divorce

Provided for changes to provisions regulating divorce by removing the constitutional requirement for a defined period of separation, and by substituting a provision on the recognition of foreign divorces

Year: 2019
Passed

11 June 2019
26 October 2018

37th Amendment
Blasphemy

Provided for the removal of the word blasphemous from the Constitution
Year: 2018
Passed

26 October 2018
25 May 2018

36th Amendment
Repeal of the 8th Amendment

Provided for the regulation of termination of pregnancy
Year: 2018
Passed

25 May 2018
22 May 2015

35th Amendment
Presidency: Reduce age of candidacy to 21

Year: 2015
Rejected

There is no Thirty-fifth Amendment. On 22 May 2015 a proposal for the Thirty-fifth Amendment to the constitution was put to the people and rejected [Age of Eligibility for Election to the Office of President].

22 May 2015
22 May 2015

34th Amendment

Provided that marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.
Year: 2015
Passed

22 May 2015
04 October 2013

33rd Amendment

Provided for the establishment of a Court of Appeal
Year: 2013
Passed

04 October 2013
04 October 2013

32nd Amendment
Seanad Abolition

Year: 2013
Rejected

There is no Thirty-second Amendment. On 4 October 2013, a proposal for the Thirty-second Amendment to the Constitution was put to the people and was rejected [Abolition of Seanad Éireann].

04 October 2013
10 November 2012

31st Amendment

Provided for an Article expressly relating to children
Year: 2012
Passed

10 November 2012
31 May 2012

30th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union
Year: 2012
Passed

31 May 2012
27 October 2011

30th Amendment

Year: 2011
Rejected

Proposed to reverse a 2002 Supreme Court ruling which prevented Oireachtas inquiries from making findings critical of individuals.

27 October 2011
27 October 2011

29th Amendment

Judges Remuneration
Year: 2011
Passed

27 October 2011
02 October 2009

28th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon
Year: 2009
Accepted

02 October 2009
12 June 2008

28th Amendment

To allow the State to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon
Year: 2008
Rejected

12 June 2008
11 June 2004

27th Amendment

Irish citizenship of children of non-national parents
Year: 2004
Passed

11 June 2004
19 October 2002

26th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty of Nice.
Year: 2002
Passed

19 October 2002
06 March 2002

25th Amendment
Abortion: Exclusion of suicide

Year: 2002
Rejected

There is no Twenty-fifth Amendment. On 6 March, 2002, a proposal for the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution was put to the people and was rejected [Protection of Human Life in Pregnancy.]

06 March 2002
07 June 2001

24th Amendment
Treaty of Nice

Year 2001
Rejected

There is no Twenty-fourth Amendment. On 7 June, 2001, three proposals were put to the people, the Twentyfirst, Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Amendments. The people rejected the Twenty-fourth [which dealt with the Treaty of Nice] and approved the Twenty-first and Twenty-third.

07 June 2001
07 June 2001

23rd Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Year: 2001
Passed

07 June 2001

There is no 22nd Amendment.

The Twenty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001 [relating to the removal of a judge from office and providing for a body to be established by law to investigate or cause to be investigated conduct constituting misbehaviour by a judge or affected by incapacity of a judge] was not passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas.

07 June 2001

21st Amendment

Prohibited the death penalty and provided for the removal of references to the death penalty.
Year: 2001
Passed

07 June 2001
11 June 1999

20th Amendment

Provided constitutional recognition of the role of local government and that local elections are held at least every five years.
Year: 1999
Passed

11 June 1999
22 May 1998

19th Amendment

Allowed the State to consent to be bound by the Britishirish Agreement done at Belfast on 10 April 1998 and provided that certain further amendments to the Constitution, notably to Articles 2 and 3, would come into effect when that agreement entered into force.
Year: 1998
Passed

22 May 1998
22 May 1998

18th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty of Amsterdam.
Year:1998
Passed

22 May 1998
30 October 1997

17th Amendment

Provided that the confidentiality of discussions at meetings of the Government would be respected save only where the High Court, in certain specified circumstances, determined that disclosure should be made.
Year: 1997
Passed

30 October 1997
28 November 1996

16th Amendment

Provided for the refusal of bail by a court to a person charged with a serious offence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person.
Year: 1995
Passed

28 November 1996
24 November 1995

15th Amendment

Provided for the dissolution of marriage in certain pecified circumstances.
Year: 1995
Passed

24 November 1995
25 November 1992

14th Amendment

Provided that Article 40.3.3° (the right to life of the unborn) would not limit freedom to obtain or make available information relating to services lawfully available in another state.
Year: 1992
Passed

25 November 1992
25 November 1992

13th Amendment

Provided that Article 40.3.3° (the right to life of the unborn) would not limit freedom to travel between Ireland and another state.
Year: 1992:
Passed

25 November 1992
25 November 1992

12th Amendment
Abortion: exclusion of suicide

Year: 1992
Rejected

There is no Twelfth Amendment. On 25 November 1992, three proposals were put to the people, the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The people rejected the Twelfth (which dealt with the right to life of the unborn) and approved the Thirteenth and Fourteenth.

25 November 1992
18 June 1992

11th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) and to become a member of that union.
Year:1992
Passed

18 June 1992
26 May 1987

10th Amendment

Allowed the State to ratify the Single European Act.
Year: 1987
Passed

26 May 1987
26 June 1986

10th Amendment
Divorce

Year: 1986
Rejected

Proposed to remove the constitutional ban on divorce. The ban was eventually lifted by the Fifteenth Amendment in 1996.

26 June 1986
14 June 1984

9th Amendment

Extended the right to vote at Dáil elections to certain non-Irish nationals.
Year: 1984
Passed

14 June 1984
07 September 1983

8th Amendment

Acknowledged the right to life of the unborn, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother.
Year: 1983
Passed

07 September 1983
05 July 1979

7th Amendment

Allowed the State to extend the provisions for the election of members of Seanad Éireann by certain universities to other institutions of higher education in the State.
Year: 1979
Passed

05 July 1979
05 July 1979

6th Amendment

Ensured that adoption orders made by the Adoption Board could not be declared invalid because they were not made by a court.
Year: 1979
Passed

05 July 1979
07 December 1972

5th Amendment

Removed from the Constitution the special position of the Catholic Church and the recognition of other named religious denominations.
Year: 1972
Passed

07 December 1972
07 December 1972

4th Amendment

Reduced the minimum voting age at Dáil and Presidential elections and referendums from 21 years to 18 years.
Year: 1972
Passed

07 December 1972
16 October 1968

4th Amendment
Elections: Dáil: electoral system

Year: 1968
Rejected

A second proposal to alter the Dáil electoral system from Single Transferable Vote to First Past The Post.

16 October 1968
08 June 1972

3rd Amendment
European Communities membership

Year: 1972
Passed

Allowed the State to become a member of the European Communities.

08 June 1972
17 June 1959

3rd Amendment
Dáil electoral systems

Year: 1959
Rejected

Proposal to alter the electoral system for elections to Dáil Éireann from the multi-member Single Transferable Vote (STV) to the single-member First Past the Post (FPTP) system.

17 June 1959
01 July 1937

Draft Constitution – Adoption of the Constitution

Year: 1937
Passed

01 July 1937