Fears not enough Irish young people registered to vote in marriage referendum

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

While polls are looking promising for a Yes vote, there are still 120,000 young people not registered to vote in the Irish referendum.

The Internet has been awash with videos of celebrities urging voters to back the Yes campaign in the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming same-sex marriage referendum.

From Grammy nominated singer Hozier, to comedy star Mrs Brown, this appeal to young people seems to be working – polls indicate an overwhelming support for same-sex marriage among Irish people under 25.

However, 120,000 18-25 year olds have not yet registered, including 33,000 in Dublin.

James Doorley of the National Youth Council of Ireland said, according to the Irish Examiner: “Young people are overwhelmingly in favour of the referendum, but if they are not registered, they can’t vote, and it could have a big impact on the result so it’s very important that they participate.”

“Take Me To Church” singer Hozier said: “I think it’s [an issue] that reflects on all of us and its an issue that deserves everyone’s involvement.

“It’s imperative that the straight community shows support for the LGBT community on this issue, and makes a clear statement that we value the equal treatment of people on our shores.”

 

This video from last month encourages young people to bring their family with them to vote on the day of the referendum.

The “Ring your granny” campaign urges young people to call their older relatives and ask them to vote Yes.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments