The next election to the Northern Ireland Assembly will be on Thursday 5 May 2016.
Register to vote
The deadline to register to vote for the Northern Ireland Assembly election on Thursday 5 May has now passed.
Find out more about registering to vote in Northern Ireland
Who can vote?
To vote in an election to the Northern Ireland Assembly you must be:
- 18 years of age or over on polling day
- a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union
- resident in Northern Ireland
- not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
What does the Northern Ireland Assembly do?
The Northern Ireland Assembly represents the people of Northern Ireland. It has the power to make decisions and pass laws on devolved matters.
Find out more on the powers of the Northern Ireland Assembly
How do I vote?
Northern Ireland Assembly elections use a system called single transferable vote to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
There are currently 108 MLAs representing 18 constituencies. Each constituency is represented by six MLAs.
When you vote you will be given a ballot paper listing all the candidates competing for the six seats.
You should rank these in order of preference by putting a 1 next to your first preference, a 2 next to your second preference and so on. You can rank as many candidates as you like.
To be elected a candidate much reach a set amount of votes known as a quota.
Votes are counted in stages. In the first round only first preferences are counted. Anyone who reaches the quota is elected.
Any remaining votes for elected candidates are re-allocated according to their second preference. If not enough candidates have reached the quota the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and their votes are re-allocated according to the next preference on the ballot papers. This process continues until all six seats are filled.
Who is standing for election in my area?
You can find out who is standing in the Northern Ireland Assembly election on the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland website.
