21 November 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
6723 young people in Cork have turned 18 since last year and will have right to vote
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is encouraging young people in County Cork to make sure they are registered to vote before the deadline for inclusion on the electoral register on November 25th.
James Doorley, NYCI deputy director explained: “We are especially anxious to ensure that the 6723 young people who have turned 18 in the last 12 months in 6723 are included in the electoral register and will be in a position to exercise their democratic right to vote should any elections or referendums take place in the coming year.”
Any young person who is 18 years of age on or before February 15th 2017 next is eligible for inclusion in this updated voters list.
“The draft voters list was published on November 1st last and is available at local council offices, post offices, Garda stations and is available online at checktheregister.ie. The reality is that the vast majority of young people who turned 18 in the 9 months since the General Election in February 2016 will not be registered to vote. If you are not currently registered, you must fill in a RFA1 form and send it to your relevant local authority by November 25th next to be added to the register. This form is available from local county and city councils and available to download at checktheregister.ie,” added Mr Doorley.
“Is it also possible for people already registered who have recently moved address or constituency to change their details and this can be done on the RFA1 form which must also be completed and returned by November 25th next.
“The amended Register of Electors comes into force on 15 February next. While it is possible to get added to the voters list even after this November deadline, getting on the so-called supplementary electoral register is more time consuming as it requires that the form is brought to and stamped at a Garda station. We would strongly encourage young people and indeed any voter not on the register or who wishes to change their details on the register to avail of this opportunity to get on the voters list.”
“Excellent work was done last year to get young people on the electoral register, by organisations including the NYCI. However, with almost 60,000 young people nationwide turning 18 in the last 12 months,* we need to work continually to ensure all are registered. For almost every election and referendum we get calls from young people who have missed the registration deadline and are disappointed that they cannot vote, we urge young people to make sure they are registered and not to leave it to the last minute, so that they can vote in any upcoming elections or referendums,” concluded Mr Doorley.
