Student Voting in General Election

cast_iron

For those who are registered to vote (or even if you're not registered, but more forms needed), but will be away at college on the day, they can still change their vote to a postal vote.

Deadline is close of business tomorrow.

They need to download and fill in a PV2 form from their local County Council website, get it stamped by UCD, and fax it in to their relevant County Council by c.4pm tomorrow.

Whether they can actually find time to vote due to exams, etc. is another story...

Chakar

This might help.

This link below is from the Citizens Information website.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/government-in-ireland/elections-and-referenda/voting/registering-to-vote#howtoapply

You will normally be required to vote in person at an official voting centre but you may be eligible for a postal vote. You may also be eligible for a postal vote if you cannot go to a polling station because:

*Of a physical illness or disability.

*You are studying full time at an educational institution away from your home address where you are registered.

The latest date for receipt of applications is two days after the date of dissolution of the Dáil when the election period begins. The application form is available below in a link and must be filled out and authenticiated by Administration in the Tierney Building.

http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/ElectionsElectoralRegister/ElectoralRegister/ElectoralRegisterForms/File,3906,en.pdf

So the application form will need to be filled out and sent to your home constituency local authority. The list of all local authorities with the relevant addresses are below.

http://www.environ.ie/DOEI/DOEIPol.nsf/wvNavView/Local+Government+Authorities?OpenDocument&Lang=

If you want to make sure that your name is on the Register of Electors then you can check at this website below or go to your post office and Gardai station.

http://www.checktheregister.ie/

panda100

second exam on that day. Voting will be the last thing on my mind.
I will abstain from voting anyway cos I dont think anyone is worthy of a vote in my area

Dontico

Panda. What area are you from? What constituency?

Steibhin

panda100 wrote:

I will abstain from voting anyway cos I dont think anyone is worthy of a vote in my area

You could always spoil your vote as a sign of your disapprovement. It would be a far more effective method.

recyclebin

Cast Iron And Chakar, It looks like ye have to try help clean up the mess after another ridiculous decision by fianna fail to have an election on a thursday and thereby making it more difficult for everyone to vote. Its no wonder so few young people dont vote .they may have made it more diffucult for me but its not goin to stop me from votin and have my voice heard.

Steibhin

recyclebin wrote:

Cast Iron And Chakar, It looks like ye have to try help clean up the mess after another ridiculous decision by fianna fail to have an election on a thursday and thereby making it more difficult for everyone to vote.

By 'everybody' you mean students who are still sitting exams at that time who have the option of a postal vote. Polling booths will be open from 7.30am until 10.30pm. That should give most people a decent opportunity to vote.

funky penguin

My last exam is the 19th, so take that Berite!

karen3212

I thought that not having it on a Friday or the weekend, was because of low voter turnout.

I mean all those people who've booked the weekend away would be put out then.

cast_iron

recyclebin wrote:

Cast Iron And Chakar, It looks like ye have to try help clean up the mess after another ridiculous decision by fianna fail to have an election on a thursday and thereby making it more difficult for everyone to vote. Its no wonder so few young people dont vote .they may have made it more diffucult for me but its not goin to stop me from votin and have my voice heard.

Well non-students will find a Thursday as easy as any day/night of the week.
And students can do a postal vote, meaning being away in college and exams, etc. shouldn't really hinder them too much either.

Would you be happy if they called around to your house/workplace to take your vote?

Chakar

recyclebin wrote:

Cast Iron And Chakar, It looks like ye have to try help clean up the mess after another ridiculous decision by fianna fail to have an election on a thursday and thereby making it more difficult for everyone to vote. Its no wonder so few young people dont vote .they may have made it more diffucult for me but its not goin to stop me from votin and have my voice heard.

I don't see it that way. There's no problem with students voting in elections. But if I'm being honest, not many of them do actually vote with the demographics of the typical student from eighteen to twenty-four being decidedly less likely to vote, compared to older demographics. Also the decision to dissolve the Dail wasn't taken by Fianna Fail but by the Taoiseach alone.

dajaffa

Steibhin wrote:

By 'everybody' you mean students who are still sitting exams at that time who have the option of a postal vote. Polling booths will be open from 7.30am until 10.30pm. That should give most people a decent opportunity to vote.

WRONG!!!

The real issue imo is the way elections are called in Ireland. I'd love a weekend vote, but there are many logistical reasons that make it difficult, it's not as simple as you'd think. The thing is that there were 2 working days for people to register to vote after the election was called. If it were declared well in advance, students would have plenty of time to register to either vote in Dublin or postal vote if it was unlikely that they'd be able to vote at home. People generally register at home, as there's the chance they'd be able to get back and vote as when you register you don't really have a clue as to when the vote will be, but 2 days to register for the postal vote isn't enough.

dajaffa

Chakar wrote:

I don't see it that way. There's no problem with students voting in elections. But if I'm being honest, not many of them do actually vote with the demographics of the typical student from eighteen to twenty-four being decidedly less likely to vote, compared to older demographics. Also the decision to dissolve the Dail wasn't taken by Fianna Fail but by the Taoiseach alone.

Yeah but it's not exactly easy for students is it? If there was some sort of on-campus polling station you'd get a great turnout imo and politicians would start bringing up student issues as there's a huge potential vote there.

Chakar

dajaffa wrote:

Yeah but it's not exactly easy for students is it? If there was some sort of on-campus polling station you'd get a great turnout imo and politicians would start bringing up student issues as there's a huge potential vote there.

I'm sure there are other sections of the population apart from just the students that find it difficult to vote but they still vote nevertheless.

A campus polling station for all students regardless of what constituency they were in?

cast_iron

dajaffa wrote:

Yeah but it's not exactly easy for students is it?

I find that hard to credit.
We've known for years the election was going to be this summer. Plenty of time to get your postal vote in order. And you can still sort it a couple of weeks before the election!
Filling in a form and posting it isn't that hard, is it?

dajaffa wrote:

If there was some sort of on-campus polling station you'd get a great turnout imo and politicians would start bringing up student issues as there's a huge potential vote there.

A logistical nightmare that would create delays all over the country.

dajaffa

cast_iron wrote:

I find that hard to credit.
We've known for years the election was going to be this summer. Plenty of time to get your postal vote in order. And you can still sort it a couple of weeks before the election!
Filling in a form and posting it isn't that hard, is it?

Lets be clear, people never think of postal voting until election time is upon us, sure many people wouldn't necessarily be old enough until a few months beforehand. If we're not going to go the Spanish route of always having it on the same day on the weekend, giving people a simple opportunity to register in the constituency where they'd be able to vote, or know that they need to register for postal voting, at least give a reasonable amount of time when the day is confirmed so people can register to postal vote in the constituency they're registered in. Again, 2 working days to register after the day is declared, just not on.

At the end of the day the general election is bloody important and happens only every 5 years, yet we only get a few weeks notice for the day itself? Bloody ridiculous imo.

Chakar wrote:

I'm sure there are other sections of the population apart from just the students that find it difficult to vote but they still vote nevertheless.

A campus polling station for all students regardless of what constituency they were in?

Well if you're registered in Donegal + are doing exams in Dublin unless you've registered to postal vote you haven't got a hope. I mean if it was regular term-time, or if you were working you can take a day off, but you can't go skipping end-of-term exams to vote.

And yeah one for all constituencies, which wouldn't be as hard as people think it would if it were organised properly, though it would be expensive. Just saying I'd love to see it to give a proper showing of how many students would vote given the proper opportunity.

gubbie

I'm personally having a great old time convincing people using really incredubly stupid reasons to vote for Labour

Their posters are nice

cast_iron

dajaffa wrote:

Again, 2 working days to register after the day is declared, just not on.

Stated like that, yes. You're not confined to the 2 days you've stated. Maybe something is flying over my head, but one could have registered last week, the week before, etc, no???

Over the last couple of weeks, speculation has been rife whether it would be 17th or 24th May. So we all knew it was coming very, very soon. Bertie basically said in all but the exact words that it would be the 1st May when it'd be called (I know, that turned out incorrect).

dajaffa wrote:

At the end of the day the general election is bloody important and happens only every 5 years, yet we only get a few weeks notice for the day itself? Bloody ridiculous imo.

That's all the more reason for students to make the effort.
And I don't know what rock you've been hiding under, but pretty much everyone else in the country was expecting the dates stated above. Shock horror, we were all right!!

dajaffa

cast_iron wrote:

Stated like that, yes. You're not confined to the 2 days you've stated. Maybe something is flying over my head, but one could have registered last week, the week before, etc, no???

Over the last couple of weeks, speculation has been rife whether it would be 17th or 24th May. So we all knew it was coming very, very soon. Bertie basically said in all but the exact words that it would be the 1st May when it'd be called (I know, that turned out incorrect).

That's all the more reason for students to make the effort.
And I don't know what rock you've been hiding under, but pretty much everyone else in the country was expecting the dates stated above. Shock horror, we were all right!!

It's all well and good for people who have a keen interest in politics, but for your average student who just wants to get their exams and head off on a J1, they probably haven't been stalking the news to see when the election is called. Sure last week FF people I know were convinced that the election would be called last Thursday (as in ready to hop into taxis + go postering between 6 and 7), and also there were a number of FF people who put serious money that it'd be on the 17th of May. Neither of those were accurate, speculation at the end of the day is just that. How difficult would it be to change the system just a little so that there was a week between the election being declared and the date closing for applying to postal vote so there would be something of a reasonable window in which to get registered to postal vote?

Chakar

I'm never one to knock an idea when it's in the formative stages.

However the law of two working days is there so that the necessary preparations can be made to hold an election with the finalised register of electors. As an example the returning officer of each Dail constituency must have the Dail nominations by May 7 as the closing date is seven days after the dissolution of the Dail. The onus is on individuals to ensure that they are registered to vote, avail of the postal vote if they are so entitled and to vote in the election.

themole

Yo.

Just to confirm, can you definitly fax the form?

If so i will do it today.

Stabshauptmann

I looked into all this yesterday and I decided it just wasnt worth the hassle.

themole

ok, i just faxed the PV2 form into Galway County council. I then rang them to confirm they received it and they said they did.

But they also said that i should post in the original with a note saying i faxed it in on this date and that they had confirmed receiving it.

Blush_01

Fcuk the whole thing for a bag of chips, I'll be heading home to vote. At least I have the opportunity to do that though. Having to fiddle around with forms now, then go have my vote witnessed by a Garda in a Garda Station is far too much time wasted. How long will I have to wait in Admin at this time of the year? I didn't have time yesterday and I don't really have time today either, unless I want to miss college/work, which I can't afford to do.

All I'll say is it's typical. Certain people with their heads up their political asses have already made their position clear. How's a resounding "anyone but Fianna Fáil"?

singingstranger

Section 63 of the Electoral Act, 1997 wrote:

(1) The registration authority shall enter in the postal voters list the name of every elector who, not later than the last date for making claims for correction in the draft register, applies to be so entered and satisfies the registration authority that the circumstances of the elector's occupation, service or employment are such as to render it likely that he or she will be unable to go in person on polling day to vote at the polling place for the polling district.

(2) For the purposes of this section "employment" and "service" shall be deemed to include participation by a person on a full time basis on an educational course of study in an educational institution in the State.

So whatever about your postal votes; I've been looking and lobbying since September and can't get one. *mutters*

themole

Blush_01 wrote:

How long will I have to wait in Admin at this time of the year? I didn't have time yesterday and I don't really have time today either, unless I want to miss college/work, which I can't afford to do.

I went in around 9.30 to the desk which does student cards. There was no queue.

themole

singingstranger wrote:

So whatever about your postal votes; I've been looking and lobbying since September and can't get one. *mutters*

Poo.

What country are you in?

Can you not vote at an Irish embassy? You would probably have to have had this setup earlier though. I don't know anything about it, just wondering.

Steibhin

There are no votes for Citizens outside the country. (The only expection being Embassy staff and members of the Defense forces).

The reason for this is the situation in the North where we have close to .5million Irish Citizens living outside the State who would have to be entitled to a vote. If someone form Spain can vote why not someone in the UK? Its not as straight forward as some think.

By the way, I sorted out my postal vote in November. Thats because unlike other moaning here, I actually care about voting all the time and not just 3 weeks before an election.

Villaricos

in fairness if people werent aware that an election was going to be held in May until it was called officially then they obviously never read papers, watch the news or noticed the number of billboards in the last few weeks with political party ads. or realised that thi
the whole country knew there was an election approaching. there wasnt only 2 working days to register for a postal vote, its just the last day was two days after the official call of an election.

and whoever mention the posters I prefer the pd ones. doesnt mean I'd vote for em tho:p