Hundreds of thousands of young people are being encouraged to register to vote before tomorrow’s deadline.

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYC) is warning that there are over 600,000 young people across the country who are eligible to vote in the General Election – but will not get a say unless they register.

It is warning that some 60,000 people turned 18 in the months since the Local and European elections and may not have signed up yet.

The NYC’s spokesperson Kathryn Walsh told Newstalk it is very easy to register online.

“The process can now be completed online at checktheregister.ie,” she said.

“All you need is to provide your PPS number, your date of birth and your Eircode.

“So, the process is really simple.

“That's why, in all our communications across social media channels, we really are echoing the voices of the Electoral Commission and others to say go to checktheregister.ie.”

Friends and family

Ms Walsh said the council is also urging family members to encourage young people to vote.

“We're also encouraging parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents – to encourage young people in their lives to make sure that they are on the voting register,” she said.

“The youth population is growing. We estimate there is over 600,000 young people aged 18 to 29 eligible to register to vote in Ireland.”

Uninformed

Ms Walsh said that most young people want to vote, but aren't always aware of the deadline or of the need to register.

“With the voter registration deadline approaching, young people must take action now," she said.

"While the public will get drawn into the election campaign in the coming three weeks, it won’t matter if they’re not registered to vote.

"We don’t want young people to miss their chance to make their voices heard in a critical election that may not come again for another five years.”

Data from a Red C poll shows most young adults believe politicians are not representing their issues.