Are you registered to vote? For those who are not, you have until September 17th to register on the supplementary register to vote in the two referendums. The Referendum Commission has launched a voter registration app on Facebook to maximise voter registration in advance of the referendums to take place on Friday October 4th.
The app guides people through the simple procedure of checking to see whether or not they are on the register, and downloading the forms required to register if they are not already on the list of those eligible to vote. Those who find they are not registered or are registered at the wrong address can correct this if they get the forms to their local authority on or before September 17th.
The referendums on the Abolition of the Seanad and the establishment of a Court of Appeal take place on Friday October 4th.
The Commission’s App can be accessed from its Facebook page which is at https://www.facebook.com/referendumcommission
According to the Chairman of the Referendum Commission, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne: “This Facebook App is an easy way for people to check the register and get registered before polling day. One of the primary functions of the Referendum Commission is to encourage people to vote, and encouraging voter registration in this way is an important part of this.”
An online advertising campaign over the next few weeks will direct people to the app which directs people to the simple step by step online procedure of checking the register and applying for inclusion on the supplementary register. Users of the app will then have the option of, with a click of the mouse, telling all their friends that they have used this app and that others should check the register in this way.
As well as Facebook the Commission will also be active on Twitter during the campaign at @RefComm2013.
“Every Irish citizen aged 18 or over on polling day is entitled to vote”, according to Judge Dunne. “Yet many people can’t use this vote for the simple reason that they have not been put on the register, or they are registered at an old address.
“A vote on changing our constitution is a very serious matter. This is one of those occasions where a major decision is not made by the Government, the Oireachtas or the Courts. It is solely for the people to decide and the outcome is determined only by those people who vote. I would encourage people to check the register to ensure that your voice is heard.”
