LIMERICK Sinn Féin councillor Séighin Ó Ceallaigh is spearheading his party’s proposal to lower the voting age for Dáil, European, and Local Elections, as well as constitutional referendums to 16 years of age.
The Government has already committed to lowering the voting age to 17, and will publish a Bill in the New Year. However, Cllr Ó Ceallaigh argues that the age should be set at 16, and that a referendum be held as soon as possible to ensure that this happens before the next general election.
“As the Youth Officer for Limerick Sinn Féin, I would encourage all young people to become politically active and to use their votes, and to be sure to register to vote,” said the 22-year-old public representative for City East.
“Young people are constant targets of the Fine Gael and Labour Government with cuts to their social welfare, their mistreatment through Jobsbridge, and through the ever rising third level education fees, they deserve the opportunity to voice their opposition to these measures,” he claims.
Cmhlr Ó Ceallaigh also believes the young people of Limerick deserve a chance to vote for their own future.
“People who are 16 will soon face the adult world and at the moment they have no say in this world they are going to enter. At 16, some people are in third level education and have part time jobs, yet they cannot vote on issues that affect them, be that in general elections, local elections or referendums,” he commented.
He maintains that the fact that 16 year olds in Scotland were able to vote in the recent referendum caught the imagination of people here.
“The Scottish referendum blew the myth that young people are apathetic out of the water. Young people drove the turnout in the Scottish referendum in a way that was extraordinary. By doing so, they’ve shown that they are capable of getting engaged with politics.
“If we get this right, we will take the first steps to creating a voter generation and democracy will thank us for it. I would hope that all parties in the Oireachtas support this proposal,” he concluded.
