The Union of Students in Ireland, with the support of SpunOut.ie, NYCI (National Youth Council of Ireland) launch National Voter Registration Day 2018 today, Wednesday 14th November.
Throughout the day, Students’ Union Officers country-wide will be registering thousands of students using the RFA form with the assistance of the Union of Students in Ireland.
USI Vice President for Equality & Citizenship, Aisling Cusack stated;
“Each year, the Union of Students in Ireland alongside Students’ Union countrywide incentivise students to register to vote. It is imperative that students are on the register considering the current political climate in the country, now more than ever, students need to be vocal on the issues facing them at current.”
Speaking on this: Ian Power, Executive Director of SpunOut.ie said:
“The referendum in May saw huge numbers of young people registering to vote to have a say on an issue that was important to them and it’s important that young people continue to make their voices heard. Given the outdated system of registration in Ireland, National Voter Registration Day acts as a timely reminder to young people to get on the register and use their vote so their voices are heard on issues that matter to them.”
James Doorley, Deputy Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland said:
“It’s so important that young people register to vote, to ensure that they can make their voices heard when elections and referendums take place. There may be a General Election in 2019 and we know for sure there will be Local and European elections next May. Excellent work has been done in the last number of years to get young people on the electoral register. However, with over 61,000 young people turning 18 and becoming eligible voters in the last 12 months alone we need to work continually to ensure all are registered.”
NOTES
- Local Students’ Unions have been registering students to vote since Induction Week in September.
- USI have partnered with SpunOut.ie and NYCI for National Voter Registration Day
- Hashtag to be used on the day #GetRegD