ELECTORAL REGISTER:VOTERS HAVE less than a week to register with their local authority to be entitled to vote in the general election, while the deadline for registering for a postal vote falls today.
Those who wish to vote in the February 25th election should check their local register to ensure that they are entitled to vote. This can be done by logging on to checktheregister.ie or by ringing the franchise department of local authority offices.
Vincent Norton, executive manager of Dublin City Council, strongly advised people to check their eligibility to avoid disappointment on polling day.
“Past experience has shown that many eligible people lost their chance to vote by simply not checking the register. I would encourage all who are eligible to vote to check the website immediately and to register with your local authority, to be included on the supplementary register,” he said.
Those who are not included on the register should register with their local authority by 5pm on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 to be guaranteed their vote.
To register, eligible voters can either pick up a form at their local authority office or download the relevant forms.
Those whose names do not appear on their local authority’s register can apply to be included in the supplementary register using an RFA2 form. Those who are on the register of electors but have moved address or are living in another constituency can use an RFA3 form to notify their local authority.
Meanwhile, those who wish to be included in the supplementary register for postal voters need to get their applications in no later than today if they wish to be eligible to vote in this way.
The latest date for receipt of applications for inclusion on the supplementary register for postal voters in a general election falls two days after the date of dissolution of the Dáil, which is close of business today.
Those entitled to a postal vote include those with an illness or disability or those whose job prevents them from voting at their local polling station.
Fine Gael Dublin South Central candidate Catherine Byrne, who is Fine Gael’s spokeswoman for older people, said it was particularly important that the elderly and those incapacitated due to disability or illness enrol on time.
“These are the most vulnerable in society and should ensure that they have their say when it comes to who will bring this country back on track. They have suffered at the hands of this Government, and their voices need to heard now more than ever.”
To be eligible to vote in this election potential voters must be Irish citizens or British citizens resident in Ireland and must be 18 years of age on or before polling day.
Potential candidates for the election have until noon on Wednesday, February 9th, to submit their nominations and can withdraw them up until noon on the following day, February 10th.