COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

MOTION NO. 25

MOTION: Councillor C. Jones

"That the Manager will outline efforts to date to raise awareness of entitlement of noncitizens within Lucan and Palmerston to vote in the upcoming elections. Further that the Manager will report on general efforts to raise awareness of voter registration and entitlement to vote."

REPORT:

The four Dublin Local Authorities organised a Voter Registration Poster campaign entitled 'Your Council, Your Vote' targeting the new communities.  Details of the campaign together with copies of the poster were circulated to the new communities groups within the South Dublin Area.  South Dublin Migrant Integration Forum which is the representative body for the new communities did likewise. Representatives from the Lucan area are members of this Forum. 

Contact was made with a number of pastors/churches whose members are from the Lucan and Palmerston areas and the Poster campaign was brought to their attention.

Posters were circulated to all second level schools, third level colleges, community centres in the area and to South Dublin County Partnership. 

The Council's Social Inclusion Unit in partnership with Corporate Services arranged two Register to Vote events, held in March, aimed at the new communities. Details regarding these events were posted on the Council website, and sent to all the Council's contacts inviting participation.  The New Communities Partnership, an organisation which works with the new communities promoted the campaign on their website and in their mosques.

Corporate Services is also providing assistance to Active Citizenship Together (ACT) in their voter registration campaigns.  ACT is supported by South Dublin County Partnership.

In addition to these initiatives the Council's website carries a number of information leaflets in 17 different languages on the 'Register of Electors', 'How Members of Local Authorities are Elected' and 'How Ireland's MEPs are Elected'.