Proposals have been laid out this week by Laois County Council which could see changes made to the National Electoral Register.
The first proposal would see citizens automatically go onto the Electoral Register when they reach 18 years of age.
A second proposal was added which would see people’s PPS number used as a marker on the register, replacing home addresses.
The Council convened for their first monthly meeting of the year, with Independent Councillors Tommy Mulligan and Caroline Dwane-Stanley speaking on the matter.
Cllr Mulligan tabled a motion calling on Laois County Council to contact the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to request the automatical inclusion on the register go once they reach 18 years of age.
“I just feel that the turnout of the General Election and the Local Elections was really poor,” Cllr Mulligan said.
“The national turnout was 59.7%, Laois was below the average at 58.5%, and the Local Elections were lower again at 49%.
“This needs to be addressed at a Government level; we’ve got to get a conversation going about removing the obstacles around voting and around turnout.
“I believe the Government need to run a campaign whereby the electorate are educated as to the importance of voting and to be encouraged to cast their ballot.
“I believe Irish emigrants abroad should be allowed to vote and I believe people on holidays should be able to vote.
“I believe we would have a higher turnout if the vote was the weekend.
“We should remove all obstacles to voting in this country; having to register is one such obstacle.
“A lot of people, particularly young people, only decide days or weeks before an election that they are going to vote and as a result, a lot of them may not have registered.”
Labour Councillor Marie Tuohy supported the motion, calling it “a logical move.”
Cllr Tuohy said “even though registering is a simple process, a lot of young people may not know how to do it.
“The voting card coming through the door is a great reminder (to vote) and it would definitely increase the turnout.
“It can only be a positive. The younger generation have new ideas; they’re facing a different set of problems; and this would engage them more in the political landscape.”
Fine Gael Councillor Paddy Buggy also supported the motion, saying: “In my view, voting should be compulsory.”
The new Councillor added the caveat that there should be an option to vote for “none of the above.”
Cllr Dwane Stanley said that while she “agreed with the sentiment” of Cllr Mulligan’s motion, she did not feel it was appropriate to have people automatically placed on the electoral register unless they gave expressed permission.
The Independent Councillor then added her own proposed change, which would see people’s PPS number used on the electoral register, replacing home addresses.
Fine Gael Councillor Barry Walsh gave his backing to both proposals, saying: “maybe it comes down to education and explaining to young people why they should vote.
“We need to be encouraging kids to vote for sure, because that’s the future.”
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