‘Everybody’s vote is equal so make sure that yours will count’

Two activists are working to make voter turnout in Cork the highest in the country through a citizen-run project which demystifies our voting system and helps people get on the voter register.

Low voter turnout in Cork North Cental at November’s by-election motivated community worker and post-graduate law student Pádraig Rice to found Cork Votes.

With the help of UCC PhD law student Aisling Ryan, the pair registered 215 people to vote in just two hours on a cold January morning.

This week, they opened a public stand outside Cork City Library where they gave impartial information about candidates in all five Cork constituencies, explained the voting process and handed out mocked-up ballot papers so people could familiarise themselves with them before Saturday’s vote.

“I’d love to see Cork having the highest turnout in the country,” Mr Rice, said.

“One of the great things about elections is that every vote is equal — nobody’s vote is worth more than yours. Every vote matters and every vote counts.

In the local elections last May, the last seat on Cork County Council was decided by one single vote. A similar situation could be repeated in this election. So don’t underestimate the power of your vote.

November’s by-election returned the fewest votes ever recorded for a by-election with more than one in two regular voters failing to cast their ballot, Mr Rice added.

“One ballot box came back empty in Cork North Central, the returning officer said he had never seen that before. Voter turnout in the constituency was just 30%,” he said.

However, the activist believes that demand for his Cork Votes service, which saw people queuing in the cold for 40 minutes to get information about the election, proves people do want to engage in the political process.

“There’s a real energy with people wanting to engage,” he said. “They queued in the cold for the service. People are motivated to vote and they do care, if we could only make it a little easier for them.”

Mr Rice said people using the service were of all ages and demographics — from first-time voters to seasoned voters in their 70s, new citizens to the country and people with low literacy.

Aisling Ryan and Pádraig Rice of Cork Votes

“Some people we saw had been voting for 50 years but they didn’t know that they could rank their votes according to preference,” he said.

“There’s a gap in knowledge and understanding. Other countries have an electoral commission to help educate voters.

We need a well-funded, independent electoral commission here to provide impartial information about elections. Lots of things could be done to make it easier to engage.

“In Cork North Central there are 18 candidates vying for four seats — that’s quite daunting to navigate through on a ballot paper. People said that seeing a print-out of the ballot beforehand was really helpful.

“Some people with poor literacy don’t vote because they struggle with the forms. But we can remove those hurdles by helping people with them.”

Mr Rice advised people to plan getting to their local voting station on Saturday ahead of time.

“The polls will be open from 7am to 10pm,” he said. “As long as you are registered you don’t need your polling card to vote but, make sure to bring photo ID. Over the years I’ve seen votes being spoilt by accident — so take your time and carefully rank the candidates in order of preference [e.g. 1, 2, 3].

"If you make a mistake or error don’t be afraid to ask the polling clerk for help. There are lots of candidates running this time so take some time in advance of Saturday to consider all of your options.”

Ten voting tips

• 1) Polls are open from 7am to 10pm
• 2) Plan in advance when you will vote and how you will get the polling station
• 3) Your polling card will provide details of your polling station
• 4) However, you don’t need a polling card to vote
• 5) Bring photo ID (passport, driver’s license, or public services card)
• 6) Rank the candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3 etc.) using the pencil provided. Make sure you carefully and clearly mark your numbers down
• 7) Don’t mark your ballot in any other way or you may spoil your vote
• 8) If you make a mistake, ask the polling clerk for a replacement ballot paper
• 9) The ballot is secret so don’t take a selfie with it
• 10) Don’t be afraid to ask the polling clerk for assistance