The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), which represents organisations working with over 380,000 young people nationwide, is urging young people in Limerick to ensure they have registered to vote before next Saturday’s deadline on November 25.
A poll conducted for the NYCI earlier this year found that 22 per cent of those aged 18-29 were not registered to vote. Based on the most recent population data from the Central Statistics Office this would mean up to 6,674 young people in Limerick City and County risk missing out on their right to vote.
Nationwide, a potential 151,000 young voters may not be registered, with the figures for the regions as follows: Dublin City and County; 50,554, Rest of Leinster 37,393, Munster, 39,021 and Connacht/Ulster 24,494.
NYCI Deputy Director James Doorley explained “We know from our work with young people that the vast majority want to vote but not all are aware they have to register. This is particularly an issue for the more than 61,000 young people who turned 18 and became eligible to vote over in the last 12 months.
Local authorities are currently preparing the 2018/2019 electoral register. For those unsure whether they are registered or not, the NYCI advises that they check online at www.checktheregister.ie
“If young people are not on the electoral lists, we are strongly encouraging them to register now. To do this they need to fill out an RFA1 form and return it to their local city or county council by next Saturday. In effect the deadline is Thursday November 23 as the form needs to be completed and posted back to the local authority to arrive by the deadline.
“If applicants miss the postal deadline, the only other option is to deliver the completed RFA1 form by hand,” Mr Doorley explained.
“This does not just apply to those currently aged 18-29 years, any young person who will turn 18 years of age on or before February 15th 2018 is now eligible to apply to register to vote,” added Mr Doorley.
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