Saturday February 8th..the date of the big General Election. By the sounds of it on social media, most of the country seems rather done with Leo and his Fianna Gaelers while there seems to more of an appetite towards voting than we have seen in a long time. Homelessness, Universal Social Charge, Teachers & Farmers strikes, Healthcare and more, people want better and deserve better but if you aren’t registered to vote than you are missing out on your chance to make a difference. Remember this, your name must be entered on the Register of Electors, which is compiled by your Local Authority and contrary to belief, you are not automatically registered when you turn 18. So how do you make sure you are registered to vote and more importantly how do you get registered if you aren’t already on the list?
Check The Register
There are two different ways to check the register, one is to ask to see the Register of Electors at your local post office, Garda station, library or city or county council offices but obviously we’re a tech site so let’s focus on that side of things. Checktheregister.ie is the place to go and check if you are registered to vote. Simply key in your province, County/County Council, Eircode and your name. Then bish, bash, bosh, the system will tell you if you’re good to go.
All residents of the Republic of Ireland regardless of nationality or citizenship must be at least 18 years of age on 15 February, the day the Register comes into force. You must also have been ordinarily resident in the State on 1 September in the year before the Register comes into force.
How To Register
If you aren’t on the register and you intend on voting then it’s time to get registered. Don’t tell us “oh sure it doesn’t matter, X will just get in anyway” well yeah sure they will if there are enough people who feel disillusioned and don’t bother voting. So every vote counts and if you want a change or things to stay the same (whatever you’re having) then it’s really important that you get on the register.
Registration forms can be found online through this link on Vote.ie or of course, you can get them from you’re local post office, library, county council and Garda station. Worst case scenario, you can get yourself on what’s called the Supplementary Register until 14 working days before polling day. There’s a form you can get from any of the usual places called the RFA2 which needs to be witnessed by a gaurd, grand same as passports and the likes so nothing to worry about. What’s important to note is that the closing date for the receipt of these is 14 working days before the Election and is published in local and National Newspapers in the run-up to the General Election.
For a better country for all of us, we all need to use our right to vote, regardless of our beliefs, teams or thoughts and we hope that this teeny tiny article helps make sure you’re registered in time for the 2020 General Election.
