Young people and voting – New survey reveals the problems & solutions

The survey found that:

Ø Only 71.2% of young people aged 18-25 were registered to vote

Ø Only 64% of young people between 18-21 years of age were registered to vote

Ø Online voting and automatic registration were seen by young people as the most effective methods of encouraging voter participation

Ø Only 20% of young people have ever had personal communication with their local T.D./Councillor

“NYCI has campaigned for many years on issues related to the participation of young people in the political and electoral system. We have consistently called for the voter registration and electoral system to be reformed to make them for accessible, effective and relevant to young people in Ireland,” commented James Doorley, Assistant Director at NYCI.

Mr. Doorley continued: “We believe that the findings of our survey demonstrate that the main barrier young people face in relation to voting was the current registration system. From these results it is obvious that the current system is failing and must be overhauled. This survey confirms anecdotal evidence that many young people who want to vote are prevented from doing so because they are not registered in time to do so.”

To combat the major problems with the voter registration system young people identified automatic registration as a way to increase turnout. A move in this direction should be possible given that all residents in Ireland have a PPS number and once a person reaches 18 they should be automatically added to the relevant electoral register. However, this may only be possible if the voter registration system is controlled and managed by a central agency, as proposed by NYCI and also now recommended by the Taskforce on Active Citizenship.

In the report young people identified a number of measures to increase voter participation. Over 73% of young people stated that online voting was either a very important or important measure in encouraging voter participation. In addition public awareness campaigns were also identified as a means to increase turnout. In addition in the past NYCI has advocated for elections and referenda to be held on Saturdays/Sundays to facilitate young people to vote. This was viewed by 57.4% as very important or important in encouraging turnout, but not as critical as we would have expected.

In light of these results NYCI recommends that:

• Government implements the recommendation of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship to establish an Independent Electoral Commission to oversee voter registration, voter education and the electoral process.
• Government moves towards automatic registration of young people when they reach the age at which they are entitled to vote (currently 18).
• Government reduces the voting age to 16. Unlike 18 year olds who are very transitory (moving away from home to study or work), the vast majority of young people aged 16 are still in school, they could be easily added to the electoral register.
• Government examines the electronic voting system introduced in Estonia in 2005.
• Politicians and Political Parties develop strategies to increase their direct contact with young people.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Clodagh O’Brien, Communications Officer at the NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 56 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.