The Electoral Commission has said it plans to explore greater use of postal voting next year.
Currently, people can apply for a postal vote in only a limited number of circumstances - such as illness, disability or work commitments.
Members of An Garda Síochána and Irish diplomats serving overseas are also entitled to postal votes.
However, the overwhelming majority of people must vote in person at their local polling station.
The polling station at Glasnevin National School Dublin. Picture by: Leon Farrell/Rollingnews.ie.By contrast, voters in Britain, France and the United States do not have to give a reason if they want to vote by post.
British, French and US citizens also retain their right to vote in national elections if they move overseas - something Irish citizens forfeit 18 months after they emigrate.
On Newstalk, Electoral Commission Chair Art O’Leary hinted change might be on the horizon.
“We have a big research project for next year on that subject, advanced voting and postal voting as well,” he said.
“Because our own data tells us that over half the people who didn't vote in the General Election said that they couldn't vote because they were away from home on the day, they'd work commitments or carrying responsibilities - and that's huge.”
Members of the public at a polling station in Dublin to cast their votes. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie.Mr O’Leary added that the current system “doesn’t make voting easy in this country”.
“You have to turn up in a particular place at a particular time on a particular day and if you can't do any of those things then you can't vote,” he said.
“So, what we're going to do is to look at the possibilities.
“There are security issues as well, which will have to be balanced as well - because this comes back again to integrity.
“People have to trust the process and postal voting isn't necessarily the most secure or the most private way of voting as well.
“So, we're going to explore all of these issues in our research next year and I'm looking forward to seeing that report.”
The next General Election is due to be held in 2029, the same year as local and European elections.
Main image: Bllots waiting to be filled for an election in Portobello. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie
