In the run up to the General Election 2024 we are now approaching a key date - the cut off for registering to vote.
On The Hard Shoulder today, Electoral Commission Chief Executive Art O'Leary explained all people need to do in order to register to vote.
Mr O’Leary reminded people that the cut off for registering is coming up tomorrow, November 12th, and those intending to vote in the upcoming election must have their registration in before midnight tomorrow.
He also encouraged people to treat social media like you would on “April Fool’s Day” in the run up to an election.
PPSN, date of birth & eircode
Mr O’Leary said there are “four distinct categories” when it comes to who’s eligible to vote in a general election.
“You have to be over 18, you have to be an Irish or a British citizen, you have to be resident here in Ireland, and you must be on the electoral register,” he said.
Mr O’Leary said that even if you have voted previously, it’s “very important” to check the register.
All you need in order to check is your PPS number, date of birth and eircode, he said.
Occasionally people are accidentally taken off the register – and that’s why it’s so important to double check, Mr O’Leary said.
“People die all the time,” he said. “And I mean, if there are lots of John Murphys living in the local area, just check that the right John Murphy was taken off.”
View this post on Instagram
Less than 3-minutes
Mr O’Leary said the Local Authority staff are registering approximately 1,000 people per day at the moment but that people shouldn’t leave registering until the last minute.
“It takes less than three minutes to register to vote - so this afternoon while you're having a cup of tea, after your dinner this evening, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, go to checktheregister.ie … it takes no time at all,” he said.
“There's a really useful video on our website, electoralcommission.ie, [that] shows you exactly the steps that you have to take in order to register to vote.”
The same voice
Mr O’Leary said the Electoral Commission have been doing work with Focus Ireland to get homeless people registered to vote as well.
“A homeless person's vote counts exactly the same as the President or the Taoiseach,” he said.
“It's one opportunity for people to have the same voice.
“People use their local post office as their address for polling purposes.
“Our polling cards, all your information leaflets, they'll all turn up at your local post office, and you just pop in to pick them up there.”
April Fool's Day
Mr O’Leary spoke about social media campaigns around the election, saying in order to remind people to double check information, they are encouraging to treat every day in the lead up to an election like April Fool’s Day.
“There is one day of every year where people question everything that they see, read and hear, and that day is April Fool's Day,” he said.
“Ask yourself when you see something that doesn't sound right, or might be a little bit off, who benefits from this information? Where is it coming from? And is there somewhere I can go to check it?”
Pre-registration
Mr O’Leary also encouraged young people to pre-register to vote.
“16 and 17 year olds can pre-register, so they're automatically on [the register],” he said.
“So if your birthday is even on the 29th of November, you are entitled to vote that day as well.
“We have had a couple of calls from people who have a birthday that day - turning 18 - and we're delighted to be able to say they'll be voting for the first time.”
Visit www.checktheregister.ie to register to vote or to check if you are on the electoral register.
Main image: Voter entering a ballot for the family and care referendum, 08/03/2023. Image: Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie
