Said and Done

How the Dáil works / How votes work

Explainer

How votes work

Most decisions in the Dáil are made without a formal vote. When there is disagreement, the House divides. Here is how that works, and how to read the results on this site.

"The question is…"

Every decision the Dáil makes starts with the Chair putting a question to the House at the end of a debate. If everyone seems to agree, the Chair simply asks "Is that agreed?" and, with no objection, declares it agreed. Nothing is counted. Most of what the Dáil decides happens this way, so none of it appears on this site's votes page.

The voice vote

If a TD wants to press the point, the Chair rises and says "The question is that…", reading out the motion or amendment. Members call out "Tá" (yes) or "Níl" (no), and the Chair judges from the sound which side has it.

Any TD who disagrees with the Chair's call can challenge it by calling "Vótáil". That triggers a recorded vote, which the Dáil calls a division.

The division

  1. The bells ring

    Division bells ring around the parliamentary buildings to call TDs to the chamber.

  2. TDs take their seats

    Every TD has a numbered seat for voting. The question and the names of the tellers, who oversee the count, go up on a display board.

  3. One minute to vote

    Each TD presses a green Tá button for yes, a red Níl for no, or Staon to abstain. They can change their vote until the minute is up. The totals show on screens either side of the Chair.

  4. The result is declared

    The tellers sign a printed result sheet and hand it to the Chair, who announces whether the question is carried or lost.

Votes are cast from TDs' own seats in the chamber. The record publishes how every TD voted, and that is what each vote page on this site shows.

Votes taken manually

A few votes are always taken manually rather than electronically: electing the Ceann Comhairle, nominating the Taoiseach and the members of the Government, and a motion of confidence in the Government. Other confidence motions, such as in a single minister, are voted on electronically like any other question.

From this term:

Close results and ties

If the difference between the two sides is ten votes or fewer, any TD can demand that the vote be taken again, as long as at least 20 TDs support the demand. The record labels the second vote "Question again put".

If the two sides are exactly equal, the Constitution requires the Chair (the Ceann Comhairle, or whoever is presiding) to cast the deciding vote.

Why so many votes are on a Wednesday

Votes that are not urgent, usually on motions or on the Second Stage of bills, are saved up for a weekly voting block, generally on a Wednesday evening. That lets debates happen through the week and the votes happen together.

Votes this term, by day of the week

  • Monday0 of 413
  • Tuesday76 of 413
  • Wednesday331 of 413
  • Thursday3 of 413
  • Friday3 of 413

Reading a result here

  • Yes, No and Abstained are the site's words for Tá, Níl and Staon.
  • Carried means the question was agreed. Lost means it was not.
  • No vote recorded means the record lists no vote for a TD who was serving that day. The record does not say why. It can mean the TD was away, or had a pairing arrangement, where TDs on opposite sides agree that neither will vote, or was in the chair: the Ceann Comhairle does not ordinarily vote.
  • A vote is on the exact question put. A vote against an amendment is not a vote against the bill, and a vote on a motion is on its precise wording, which each vote page shows in full.

Parties usually decide in advance how their TDs will vote, and each party's whip organises this. This site shows how every TD voted and never scores anyone for voting with or against their party.

Browse every vote

Sources

From the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Constitution, checked on 24 September 2026. The official guidance is the authority; if anything here differs from it, it wins.