TWELVE of Clare’s community organisations have come together with the support of Clare County Council to help under-represented communities get registered to vote in advance of the local and European elections.
In an effort that began over the last fortnight and which will continue into early May, people from these groups are already out and about helping various communities to register to vote ahead of the elections on June 7th.
This voluntary initiative will include visits to emergency accommodation, Direct Provision centres and day services in Co Clare. People who have migrated to Clare from other countries including those from Ukraine, those seeking international protection, disabled people, the Traveller community, and people experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness will be among those the initiative hopes to help register and have their voices heard.
Clare Immigrant Support Centre, Clare Leader Forum, Clare Local Development Company, Clare PPN, Clare Solidarity Network, Quare Clare LGBTQ+, Clare Sports Partnership, Clare Traveller CDP, Clare Volunteer Centre and Clare County Council are the organisations involved in the initiative.
To mark National Voter Registration Day, public stalls were set up in Ennis and Shannon on Tuesday to assist members of the public registering to vote.
National Voter Registration Day is a new migrant-led initiative founded by Liliana Fernandez, Programme Manager at Common Purpose Ireland, Leon Diop, Co-Founder of Black and Irish, and Brian Hearne, Policy and Communications Manager at the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS), in Clare it is being coordinated by Clare Public Participation Network (PPN).
Clare PPN Coordinator Sarah Clancy said, “Along with all our community worker colleagues we’re reaching out in particular to people who might not know they’re entitled to vote in the Local Elections on June 7th. Anybody over 18 and living in Ireland is entitled to vote in local elections, regardless of their citizenship status.”.
Individuals can also just register themselves to vote online by going to www.checktheregister.ie and providing their date of birth, PPS number and Eircode. They need to do this before Monday, 20th May, in order to be able to vote in the local and European elections on 7th June.
Citizens of other EU countries resident in Ireland can vote in the election for the European Parliament which will also on take place on 7th June but although they can register online for the local elections they will have to download and submit a hard copy form from www.checktheregister.ie in order to be eligible to vote in the EU Parliament elections from Ireland.
