Civil Partnership Certificate not a valid ID for voting
A Civil Partnership Certificate cannot be used as a form of identification for the purposes of voting at polling stations, but a Marrriage Certificate can.
According to the YES campaign, this is a clear indication of the lower status that Irish authorities confer on civil partnership.
Statutory Instrument 321 of 2014 signed by then-Minister Phil Hogan lists the acceptable forms of identification that can be presented at a polling station at the request of officials for the purpose of confirming a voter’s identity.
While the list omits Civil Partnership Certificates, it includes a range of other proofs of ID, including a Marriage Certificate.
“A constant refrain of the No side in this debate has been to claim that ‘civil partnership is enough’ for Ireland’s lesbian and gay citizens,” said Grainne Healy, a Yes Equality Spokesperson.
“My Civil Partnership certificate does not even gain me access to my local polling station where I will cast my vote on May 22 . A small detail perhaps. But a detail that says a great deal about the esteem in which civil partnership is held in our law. Luckily, as a citizen of this country, I have my passport.”
“Civil partnership is unequal. It enjoys no constitutional protection and could at any point be repealed by the Oireachtas,” said Ms Healy
The following documents will be accepted to confirm a voter’s identity at a polling station:
• a passport
• a driving licence
• an employee identity card containing a photograph
• a student identity card issued by an educational institution and containing a photograph
• a travel document containing name and photograph
• a Bank or Savings or Credit Union book containing address in constituency or local electoral area
• a Public Services Card
• a cheque book
• a cheque card
• a credit card
• a birth certificate
• a marriage certificate.
