Young mayo people in a rush to vote

THE Yes Equality Mayo campaign has welcomed the announcement by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) that 1,068 people in Mayo have been added to the supplementary register in advance of this Friday's referendums.

Jean Cross, chair of the campaign, said over the past seven weeks her members have been encouraging young people to come out and vote.  

“This is clearly an issue which resonates strongly with them and we are greatly encouraged by this surge of young voters,” she added.

Lisa Ni Bheolain, equality officer at GMIT, stated: “This is fantastic news. We have been urging the students at GMIT to register to vote and so many have done so. 

“Equality is an issue which is very important to the younger generation and now more of us can have our say on how we want to shape the future.” 

Meanwhile, NYCI is calling on young people to ensure they cast their vote. James Doorley, deputy director, explained: “We have compiled the figures from local authorities which indicate that 1,068 people in Mayo added their names to the supplementary register before the May 5 deadline, which is to be welcomed.

“Now, however, the focus must turn to getting out the vote. There are almost 400,000 18 to 25 year olds in Ireland. NYCI will be encouraging this age group in particular to make sure they make their voices heard on May 22.

“Over 3.1 million citizens have the right to vote in these referendums and with some results, as we saw in the divorce referendum in 1995 which was decided by only 9,000 votes, each vote will count.”

It is understood the number signing onto the supplementary register in Mayo is a record as the number is normally in the region of 300.