Turnout as low as 2% in some counties

nesf

http://www.thejournal.ie/turnout-low-childrens-referendum-668956-Nov2012/

Might be in for a record low turnout. Goodbye Saturday voting. :P

desaparecidos

There's a referendum????!?!?

Basq

I was the 32nd person in my local voting booth at 2pm today..

.. not good alright!

drunkmonkey

Gonna vote after work, haven't even read up on it but seen as the yea for austerity gang are looking for a yes ill have to vote no.

Anyway aren't children already protected under law? I can be easily swayed, any good reason to vote yes?

DylanII

They get more protection. Instead of living through years of abuse before they can be removed, they can be removed when it just starts.

The child will have a say in what happens to them, right now no one asks the child what they want.

The child can be removed from state care and adopted by a family that wants and cares for them, instead of having to stay with the state until they are 18.

Chavways

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Gonna vote after work, haven't even read up on it but seen as the yea for austerity gang are looking for a yes ill have to vote no.

Anyway aren't children already protected under law? I can be easily swayed, any good reason to vote yes?

Don't vote no just to spite the government. The referendum is for children.

eyescreamcone

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Gonna vote after work, haven't even read up on it but seen as the yea for austerity gang are looking for a yes ill have to vote no.

Anyway aren't children already protected under law? I can be easily swayed, any good reason to vote yes?

Dana said vote no!

The Big Red Button

The vote is a formality, of course the result will be Yes.

I'd have had to change my address to vote, but if I was voting, I would've (obviously) voted yes. Didn't seem worth the hassle of changing my registered address for voting, just for this one.

If it comes down to one vote in the difference, you can all come back and laugh at me for posting this. :P

I think the low turn out will lean heavily in the "No" camp's favour.

Most people think a yes is foregone conclusion

The Big Red Button

Deleted User wrote: »

I think the low turn out will lean heavily in the "No" camp's favour.

Most people think a yes is foregone conclusion

There is no "no" camp, other than a few ill-informed tools on Facebook.

Most of whom probably aren't even registered to vote in the first place.

JustAThought

nesf wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/turnout-low-childrens-referendum-668956-Nov2012/

Might be in for a record low turnout. Goodbye Saturday voting. :P

Totally forgot about iy. Probably becauss.they havnt been.banging on my door for weeks nagging me about it.

Must.do.now.
Can you.vote with ID if you didnt.get.a.polling card?

drunkmonkey

eyescreamcone wrote: »

Dana said vote no!

She's gives me timber, a no it is then.

My name is URL

chatterpillar wrote: »

There is no "no" camp, other than a few ill-informed tools on Facebook.

Most of whom probably aren't even registered to vote in the first place.

lol.. I think you're greatly underestimating the amount of people intending to vote no tbh.

jimmycrackcorm

nesf wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/turnout-low-childrens-referendum-668956-Nov2012/

Might be in for a record low turnout. Goodbye Saturday voting. :P

Nothing to do with Saturday voting and more to do with an unnecessary referendum that will not make any difference in practice.

nesf

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Nothing to do with Saturday voting and more to do with an unnecessary referendum that will not make any difference in practice.

Gilmore (I think) was saying that future Saturday votes were dependent on the turnout for this one which was what I was referring to.

Owryan

Just in from voting. Only 9 had voted at that stage. Carlow town .

Given where I live, most voters would be elderly I cant see too many heading out once it gets dark.

Voted yes because it might give some child the chance to be adopted into a loving family rather than growing up in state care

nesf

nesf wrote: »

Gilmore (I think) was saying that future Saturday votes were dependent on the turnout for this one which was what I was referring to.

In that case, it's a sham.

Of course Saturday voting is the way forward, just people aren't bothered to vote in this one because
A) They don't really care i.e it doesn't actually affect them that much.
The lack of a good counter argument to the YES vote means most people would consider it a foregone conclusion.

If it was a really meaty vote, say on abortion or something, you can bet your last euro that the polling would be significantly higher.

Annasopra

chatterpillar wrote: »

The vote is a formality, of course the result will be Yes.

I'd have had to change my address to vote, but if I was voting, I would've (obviously) voted yes. Didn't seem worth the hassle of changing my registered address for voting, just for this one.

If it comes down to one vote in the difference, you can all come back and laugh at me for posting this. :P

Particularly because you can probably still vote in the place where you previously lived

Annasopra

JustAThought wrote: »

Totally forgot about iy. Probably becauss.they havnt been.banging on my door for weeks nagging me about it.

Must.do.now.
Can you.vote with ID if you didnt.get.a.polling card?

Yes

Emeraldy Pebbles

Didn't know it was today. Didn't know about the referendum until it was too late to get on the supplementary register (have recently moved). Couldn't travel home this weekend even if I had known as had plans made. I know some of this is my fault but a lot of people will be in the same position.

drunkmonkey

nesf wrote: »

Gilmore (I think) was saying that future Saturday votes were dependent on the turnout

Deleted User wrote: »

In that case, it's a sham.

So that's what they were up to. All makes sense now, they don't want students voting and this will prove saturday doesn't work as a day. They don't care if this passes or not.

They should have put gay marriage and the commercialisation of pot for fun and profit on the ballot and they might have got a half decent turnout.

Dirk Gently

chatterpillar wrote: »

There is no "no" camp, other than a few ill-informed tools on Facebook.

you'd be surprised. A lot of parents I know are very hostile to it and are voting no, I presume because they want to protect their children from being taken away by swat teams storming the house at 4am to put their kids to work in a gulag. Don't underestimate the paranoia of an uninformed electorate.

Owryan

I ve had "no" campaigners tell me the amendment will allow forced adoptions, the end of child benefit and because im a seperated dad my kids can be given away by their mother without regard to me.

There are plenty out there who will believe crap like that

Brussels Sprout

A lot of people are giving the whole "I don't know enough about it" excuse which is kinda infuriating. This line is trotted out at every referendum and I never really know what people expect. Like the implication seems to be that even though they've ignored the TV debates, not read the literature posted in the door and skipped over the newspaper articles that it's still not their own fault that they don't know anything about it. I think some people expect Francis Fitzgerald to be going door to door to explain it to them in simple terms or something!

ShooterSF

drunkmonkey wrote: »

So that's what they were up to. All makes sense now, they don't want students voting and this will prove saturday doesn't work as a day. They don't care if this passes or not.

They should have put gay marriage and the commercialisation of pot for fun and profit on the ballot and they might have got a half decent turnout.

If people are undecided they should spoil their vote. If students are this apathetic to doing their civic duty than sadly, tough.

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

A lot of people are giving the whole "I don't know enough about it" excuse which is kinda infuriating. This line is trotted out at every referendum and I never really know what people expect. Like the implication seems to be that even though they've ignored the TV debates, not read the literature posted in the door and skipped over the newspaper articles that it's still not their own fault that they don't know anything about it. I think some people expect Francis Fitzgerald to be going door to door to explain it to them in simple terms or something!

It's insane. The amendment is a few english sentences. All people had to do is decide which paragraph they prefer.

ardmacha

Not so much as case of vótáil nil, as nil vótáil.

drunkmonkey

I went to the pub instead of voting. It seemed like the right thing to do seen as I knew nothing about it. I hope I don't bump into Dana later, not sure I could live with the shame.

Stheno

Dirk Gently wrote: »

you'd be surprised. A lot of parents I know are very hostile to it and are voting no, I presume because they want to protect their children from being taken away by swat teams storming the house at 4am to put their kids to work in a gulag. Don't underestimate the paranoia of an uninformed electorate.

Owryan wrote: »

I ve had "no" campaigners tell me the amendment will allow forced adoptions, the end of child benefit and because im a seperated dad my kids can be given away by their mother without regard to me.

There are plenty out there who will believe crap like that

I've heard both those arguments.

As for the first, it's nonsense.

For the second, I actually forsee that a yes vote could be important especially for older kids in terms of access and possibly where they live/which parent they live with, if they are genuinely going to be involved.

Brussels Sprout

Was there no exit polls commissioned by anyone. I was half expecting RTE to "call" it at 10pm. The US elections spoiled me

Shamrock841

I was a poll clerk in north cork central, 27% turnout! Lowest I have ever seen!

Elfinknight

ShooterSF wrote: »

If people are undecided they should spoil their vote. If students are this apathetic to doing their civic duty than sadly, tough.



It's insane. The amendment is a few english sentences. All people had to do is decide which paragraph they prefer.

As I have said in another thread, if you are undecided or unsure as to how to vote, you should vote no. Especially if its due to lack of understanding.
That way the status qou is maintained and the government have to come back with more information before they ask us again.

Annasopra

Elfinknight wrote: »

As I have said in another thread, if you are undecided or unsure as to how to vote, you should vote no. Especially if its due to lack of understanding.
That way the status qou is maintained and the government have to come back with more information before they ask us again.

Absolute rubbish and nonsense

If you are unsure then you should inform yourself and make an educated and informed decision.

This nonsense slogan of "if you don't know, vote no" is a disgrace and a danger to democracy!

Manach

chatterpillar wrote: »

There is no "no" camp, other than a few ill-informed tools on Facebook.

Most of whom probably aren't even registered to vote in the first place.

I voted No. Sure I've only spent the past 3 years studying the subject which touched on children's rights and constitution - so perhaps I'll never be informed enough to follow the State's advice and vote the other way, sorry.

Technoprisoner

this referendum was not really discussed i think... it was a sort of taboo... i think people were worried that if they expressed the idea of voting no that they would be frowned upon. I voted no myself and the main reason for voting no was that it said that if the state wished to vaccinate every child in the country they could.... now if you remember a few years ago the state wanted to vaccinate all children with the swine flu jab... which has since shown that a number of children now suffer from narcolepsy because of it...so roll on a few years from now when the next deadly sickness comes along and the government decides it wants to inoculate the population with another not fully tested vaccine, we may see the downside to todays referendum

GhostInTheRuins

Shamrock841 wrote: »

I was a poll clerk in north cork central, 27% turnout! Lowest I have ever seen!

I'm surprised it was that high to be honest!

According to this page the lowest turn out for a referendum was 28.6% back in the 70s. I'd say it will probably beat that.

Markcheese

drunkmonkey wrote: »

So that's what they were up to. All makes sense now, they don't want students voting and this will prove saturday doesn't work as a day. They don't care if this passes or not.

They should have put gay marriage and the commercialisation of pot for fun and profit on the ballot and they might have got a half decent turnout.

If they don't want students voting they don't have to worry... Students can't be arsed... Old people vote...(most)younger people make loads of noise but feck all action..

marozz

The polling station was pretty empty alright. I voted no. Nothing to do with the no camp, Dana etc.. who are people I generally have no time for. Children are already protected under the constitution. It is not the constitution that has failed children in the past, but the state. IMO voting yes only gives an uncaring and incompetent state more power. They cannot be trusted.

Elfinknight

mango salsa wrote: »

Absolute rubbish and nonsense

If you are unsure then you should inform yourself and make an educated and informed decision.

This nonsense slogan of "if you don't know, vote no" is a disgrace and a danger to democracy!

I actually do try to make sure that i keep informed but sometimes the issues do not be a nice shade of black and white but are more often in a grey area.

I dont consider it a disgrace and a danger to democracy. I consider it putting the ball in the government's court to do a better job of convincing me yes or the no camp to persude me to vote no.

DylanII

If you don't think you know enough to vote then go and inform yourself. . . If you don't want to do that then don't vote.

Stheno

DylanII wrote: »

If you don't think you know enough to vote then go and inform yourself. . . If you don't want to do that then don't vote.

I had to laugh today, the Oh voted one way and I voted another, might as well not have bothered

Dirk Gently

Elfinknight wrote: »

I consider it putting the ball in the government's court to do a better job of convincing me yes or the no camp to persude me to vote no.

short of coming into your, and every other house in the country and putting on a power point presentation and puppet show in your sitting room what do you want them to do?

oscarBravo

On the topic of this being used as a reason not to allow weekend voting in the future: that's a position I actually have a lot of sympathy with. If people really, truly cared about future ballots being held at weekends, they would have turned out in droves for this one, even if only to turn in blank ballot papers.

Brussels Sprout

oscarBravo wrote: »

On the topic of this being used as a reason not to allow weekend voting in the future: that's a position I actually have a lot of sympathy with. If people really, truly cared about future ballots being held at weekends, they would have turned out in droves for this one, even if only to turn in blank ballot papers.

You're expecting an awful lot of foresight and maturity from people there-Good luck with that!

GhostInTheRuins

oscarBravo wrote: »

On the topic of this being used as a reason not to allow weekend voting in the future: that's a position I actually have a lot of sympathy with. If people really, truly cared about future ballots being held at weekends, they would have turned out in droves for this one, even if only to turn in blank ballot papers.

Well this thread is the first that I've heard of this referendum's turn out deciding the fate of future referenda.

oscarBravo

GhostInTheRuins wrote: »

Well this thread is the first that I've heard of this referendum's turn out deciding the fate of future referenda.

It doesn't matter whether or not people knew that would be the effect. A ballot was held on a Saturday; people didn't show.

Objectively, dispassionately, it's only fair to conclude that a midweek poll date will lead to a better turnout.

I'd love to know what percentage of those who have grumbled about midweek voting in the past turned up today.

oscarBravo

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

You're expecting an awful lot of foresight and maturity from people there-Good luck with that!

I have extremely low expectations of the average voter. It's one of the reasons I think democracy is a dangerous weapon to be used sparingly and only when unavoidable.

Stheno

oscarBravo wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether or not people knew that would be the effect. A ballot was held on a Saturday; people didn't show.

Objectively, dispassionately, it's only fair to conclude that a midweek poll date will lead to a better turnout.

I'd love to know what percentage of those who have grumbled about midweek voting in the past turned up today.

Going all "how to manage change" about it, most folk are used to mid week elections, they get up, go to work, and if they can vote early/when the kids or in school, or go to work, get home, settle the kids/have dinner and then vote.

The idea of voting at the weekend is a bit alien, I know I found it so, and made plans without thinking of it, until the OH mentioned we needed to fit in time to vote.

There was absolutely no effort put in to remind people that there was a change here that this is the first time the country was voting on a saturday that I can recall?

28064212

oscarBravo wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether or not people knew that would be the effect. A ballot was held on a Saturday; people didn't show.

Objectively, dispassionately, it's only fair to conclude that a midweek poll date will lead to a better turnout.

The record low turnout was the seventh amendment, held on a Thursday. Does that mean Thursday is a bad day for polls?

Objectively, dispassionately, it's only fair to conclude that a referendum which has been pinpointed as inevitably having a low turnout would have a low turnout regardless of whether it was held midweek or on Saturday.

Chocolate

I have always been of the opinion that every adult should exercise his/ her right to vote regardless of whether or not they share the same political/moral views as me.

Imagine my surprise when I was pottering around the shopping centre at 5.30 p.m. this evening and I overheard two shop staff discussing whether or not they would vote. My surprise was not due to the fact that they were undecided - it was due to the fact that I had completely forgotten that today was polling day.

I was in weekend mode, doing my usual weekend bits and pieces. I hadn't seen/ heard any television/ radio all day. I was with my small children for most of the day. They certainly weren't talking about the referendum. Normally, on polling day, I'd see/ chat to other adults about voting. It just wasn't on my radar today. I wonder how many other people were like me and forgot about it.

Luckily, I still had time to go home and vote. I'd have been very annoyed with myself if the opportunity had passed me by.

Stheno

Chocolate wrote: »

I was in weekend mode, doing my usual weekend bits and pieces. I hadn't seen/ heard any television/ radio all day. I was with my small children for most of the day. They certainly weren't talking about the referendum. Normally, on polling day, I'd see/ chat to other adults about voting. It just wasn't on my radar today. I wonder how many other people were like me and forgot about it.
.

Exactly my point about the change side of this vote not being properly managed.

nesf

28064212 wrote: »

Objectively, dispassionately, it's only fair to conclude that a referendum which has been pinpointed as inevitably having a low turnout would have a low turnout regardless of whether it was held midweek or on Saturday.

I don't think anyone disagrees with that but today will be used as an excuse not to hold weekend ballots in future whenever the Government wants to avoid doing so.