Voters urged to check registration ahead of Lisbon rerun

The Referendum Commission today launched a campaign urging people who are not on the register of voters to claim their vote before the October 2 referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

The Commission wants people to check the electoral register to see if they are on it, and if not, to use the late registration facility which is available up to September 15.

A new website - www.lisbontreaty2009.ie - explains how voters can add their names to the register and also explains issues surrounding the Lisbon Treaty.

A short summary of the Treaty will be distributed to 1.9 million homes this week in advance of a full information campaign set to kick off next week.

"Many thousands of people who are eligible to vote in this referendum are currently prevented from doing so simply because they are not registered, or are registered at the wrong address," said Commission chairman Mr Justice Frank Clarke.

“There is a simple process available for people to put this right."

The Referendum Commission is an independent body set up to explain the subject matter of referendum proposals, to promote public awareness of referenda and to encourage the electorate to vote.

As well as chair Mr Justice Clarke, the Commission's members also include the Clerk of the Dáil Kieran Coughlan; the Clerk of the Seanad Deirdre Lane, the Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly and the Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley.