Voter-registration publicity campaign planned

The Government is planning a major publicity campaign to get all eligible voters registered in time for the 2009 local and European elections.

The Register of Electors was heavily criticised by Opposition parties before the General Election for being widely inaccurate and open to fraud.

The Department of Environment is now spending €137,000 on a public awareness campaign to urge people to put their names on the 2008/2009 Register of Electors.

Minister John Gormley will hire consultants to run the nationwide campaign from November 1-25.

“The overall budget for the contract is in the region of €137,000,” said a Department spokesman.

Former Minister for the Environment Dick Roche ordered an overhaul of the Register of Electors earlier this year.

The Labour Party claimed there could have been as many as 800,000 inaccuracies in the two-million-voter list.

The Taoiseach also said in the Dáil in May that were some houses in his own constituency where up to 80 people were officially registered to vote.

Labour has called for the voting age to be lowered to 16 for the local elections so that young people can have a say in local democracy.

The party said many decisions taken by local authorities impact directly on young people, such as public transport, cycle lanes, green spaces and sporting facilities.

The last elections for County Councils and Town Councils, as well as the European Parliament, were held in 2004.