Electronic voting in the Republic of Ireland the Government of Ireland established the Independent Commission on Electronic Voting and Counting at Elections to examine the proposed system. It was dissolved in 2006. The Commission issued a series of reports reviewing the proposed system and comparing it to the existing electoral system: "The Commission can recommend the voting and counting equipment as follows: The prime issue was the lack of verifiability by the absence of an audit mechanism or verified paper trail. The former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had defended the flawed system in the Dáil, bemoaning the use of ""stupid old pencils"". The voting machines bought by the
Elections in the Republic of Ireland EU state may vote in European Parliament elections, while any resident, regardless of citizenship, may vote in local elections. The right of Irish expatriates to vote is heavily restricted. Only members of the armed forces and diplomatic staff abroad may vote in Dáil elections, while only expatriates who are graduates of the National University of Ireland or Trinity College, Dublin may vote in Seanad elections to the university constituencies. However, in March 2017, the Taoiseach announced that a referendum would be held to amend the Constitution to allow expatriate Irish citizens to vote in presidential elections. Entitlement to vote is