Allowing people in Northern Ireland to vote in Presidential Elections would have a “disruptive impact”, a former DUP MLA has predicted. 

Aountú has tabled a bill in the Oireachtas, which would see a referendum held on whether Irish citizens north of the border should be able to elect the head of state. 

Jim Wells, who previously served as Northern Ireland’s Minister for Health, predicted such a change would benefit one party in particular. 

He added that there is “no way” he would personally vote in any Irish election. 

“If this madcap scheme was to go ahead, I suspect those who would most likely vote would be the huge number of Sinn Féin voters that are in Northern Ireland,” he told The Hard Shoulder. 

“A quarter of a million of them. 

“Can you imagine the disruptive impact that would have in an all-Ireland election. 

“Very extreme republican views which skew the election from people who don’t live in the Irish Republic, don’t pay tax in the Irish Republic and do not bear the consequences of the decision. 

“It’d be highly disruptive.” 

Micheál Martin at Áras an Uachtaráin. Photograph: Evan Treacy / © RollingNews.ie

Supporting the change, VotingRights.ie spokesperson Emma DeSouza described Ireland as an “outlier” by not allowing citizens living outside the State to vote. 

“Frankly, I think it is shameful that I, as an Irish citizen, living on the island of Ireland, that I can’t vote for my President,” he said. 

“My husband is a US citizen, he lives here in Northern Ireland, he votes for the US President. 

“It’s not controversial, it’s totally normal.”  

A Welcome to Northern Ireland sign with bullet holes. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Mr Wells countered that the two situations were different. 

“My understanding is Ms DeSouza was born in the United Kingdom, lives in the United Kingdom - that’s totally different from her husband who, I understand, was born in the United States of America and is an American citizen,” he said.  

“Obviously, I can understand the logic of him being able to vote in an American election. 

“But the simple solution for Ms DeSouza is simply to move to the Irish Republic and then she has a right to vote in that jurisdiction. 

“There’s no way that a British citizen - whether she likes it or not - should have the right to vote in a foreign election. That just doesn’t happen anywhere.” 

Britons living outside the United Kingdom - and Irish citizens who previously lived in Northern Ireland - have the right to vote in British General Elections for life. 

Main image: President Michael D Higgins and Sabina Higgins vote. Picture by: X/@PresidentIRL