Pre-registration of teenagers on register of electors could encourage political engagement- Rock

The Government should consider giving local authorities the power to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register on the register of electors to encourage younger people to be politically active, according to a Fine Gael TD.

Dublin North West Deputy, Noel Rock, said: “I encourage the Government to grant local authorities the privilege of allowing younger potential voters to pre-register on the register of electors before they turn 18.

“I wholeheartedly support voting at 16 but in the absence of that, and until a referendum changes that, I believe this is a good idea for us to adapt.”

Deputy Rock continued: “I believe this would be a positive first step in encouraging younger people to be politically active at a local and national level.

“In California, they have started this process and their effort to get 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote has now reached 100,000 teenagers.

“I believe we could see something similar in Ireland if we encouraged a similar process.

“I also believe the new Politics and Society curriculum in secondary schools, which will be examined for the first time this year, will encourage a deeper learning and understanding of the political process here and also a broader knowledge of the operations of the European Union.

“This could encourage a new generation of politically active students, which would only serve to strengthen our democracy.”

ENDS