Friday, 22 September 2017

FindMyPast adds free index to Dublin Electoral Rolls

FindMyPast has added a free index to the Dublin Electoral Rolls. It contains 427,000 entries recording eligible voters in the City of Dublin from 1908 to 1915.

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5947&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.findmypast.ie%2Fsearch-world-Records%2Fdublin-electoral-rolls
At this time, eligibility for a vote at local elections was restricted to men over the age of 21 and women over the age of 30 who resided or owned property in the city; eligibility for a vote at parliamentary elections was restricted only to ratepayers and freemen.

Searching the Index will provide you with name, address, ward and the electoral roll year. Researchers with registered accounts will also have access to transcribed details such as the individual's voter number and qualification for a vote (inhabitant/ratepayer/freeman etc).

A link to the original document, held by Dublin City Library & Archive and freely available on Dublin City Council's website, additionally reveals a description of the voter's residence ie house, stable and small garden or 3rd floor, front room on left, etc.

Dublin City Council's digitisation of the city's electoral lists is an on-going project that should see all the rolls from 1898 to 1916 made available as part of the City Council's Decade of Commemorations.