The Electoral Act 1923 was a law in Ireland which established the electoral law of the Irish Free State and provided for parliamentary constituencies in Dáil Éireann.
Franchise
Article 14 of the Constitution of the Irish Free State adopted on 6 December 1922 provided equal suffrage to men and women over the age of twenty-one. This was provided in the Electoral Act 1923. It also abolished plural voting: electors could be registered in only one constituency: the constituency in which he or she was ordinarily resident; the constituency in which he or she occupied business premises; or one of two university constituencies.
Repeal It was substantially replaced as the principal electoral legislation by the Electoral Act 1963. Its remaining provisions were repealed by a further revision and consolidation of electoral law in the Electoral Act 1992.
Constituencies This Act replaced the constituencies defined in the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which had been in use at the 1921 election and the 1922 election. It also increased the number of seats in the Dáil by 25 from 128 to 153. These constituencies were first used at the 1923 election held on 27 August for the 4th Dáil.
The constituencies in the 1923 Act were in turn replaced by the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935, which came into effect on the dissolution of the 8th Dáil, and were first in use at the 1937 general election held on 14 June for the 9th Dáil. The two university constituencies were abolished at the same election by separate legislation.
NameSeatsContents or boundariesBorough constituenciesCork Borough5County borough of Cork and the county electoral area of BallincolligDublin North8Borough electoral areas of Dublin No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 6 and No. 8 in the county borough of DublinDublin South7Borough electoral areas of Dublin No. 3, No. 5, No. 7, No. 9 and No. 10 in the county borough of DublinCounty constituenciesCarlow–Kilkenny5Administrative counties of Carlow and KilkennyCavan4Administrative county of CavanClare5Administrative county of ClareEast Cork5County electoral areas of Mallow and Cobh in the administrative county of CorkNorth Cork3County electoral areas of Kanturk and Macroom in the administrative county of CorkWest Cork5County electoral areas of Bandon, Bantry and Dunmanway in the administrative county of CorkDonegal8Administrative county of DonegalDublin County8Administrative county of DublinGalway9Administrative county of GalwayKerry7Administrative county of KerryKildare3Administrative county of KildareLeitrim–Sligo7Administrative counties of Leitrim and SligoLeix–Offaly5Administrative counties of Leix and OffalyLimerick7Administrative county of Limerick and the county borough of LimerickLongford–Westmeath5Administrative counties of Longford and WestmeathLouth3Administrative county of LouthNorth Mayo4County electoral areas of Ballina, Killala and Swinford in the administrative county of MayoSouth Mayo5County electoral areas of Castlebar, Claremorris and Westport in the administrative county of MayoMeath3Administrative county of MeathMonaghan3Administrative county of MonaghanRoscommon4Administrative county of RoscommonTipperary7Administrative counties of Tipperary North Riding and Tipperary South RidingWaterford4Administrative county of Waterford and the county borough of WaterfordWexford5Administrative county of WexfordWicklow3Administrative county of WicklowUniversity constituenciesDublin University3Degree holders and scholarsNational University3Degree holders
See also History of the franchise in Ireland Elections in the Republic of Ireland
References