COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE
Monday, September 26, 2022
QUESTION NO.
QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor
"To ask the CEO to present an update on the works being undertaken on the 2023/2024 voting register for Tallaght Central and Tallaght South; will he confirm if any discussions have taken place in respect of how the voting registers are developed and will he make a statement?"
REPLY:
The 2022/2023 Register of electors came into force on the 15th February 2022.
The work on the Register of Electors is continuous, all RFA household forms received are duly processed and Voter.ie is continually monitored and updated.
The Council’s Franchise Section are currently working in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the modernisation of the register, through workshops and engagement with the project team. The Electoral Reform Act 2022 was signed into law by the President on 25 July.
The Act provides for:
- Establishment of an independent electoral commission - An Coimisiún Toghcháin;
- Modernisation of the electoral registration process to deliver greater accessibility and improved integrity;
- Regulation of online political advertising to provide for transparency during electoral campaigns
- Regulation of electoral process information, and online electoral information in order to guard against manipulative or inauthentic behaviour during electoral campaigns;
- Strengthening of our regulatory regime in respect of political donations and accounts, including the provision of new investigatory and enforcement powers to the Standards in Public Office Commission
- Measures to facilitate the holding of electoral events when public health restrictions are in place
The provisions of the Act are all subject to commencement.
The Council will support the national campaign due to be launched in November led by the Department to drive engagement with the voter.ie website and promote the Register of Electors new processes.
Corporate Services continue to promote Voter awareness. An article on Valuing Your Vote in relation to the importance of voting and registering to vote was placed in the South Dublin County Council newsletter which was distributed to all households during the summer months. Bus Stop advertisement campaign will take place in September 2022 and the Council's Communications Section will continue to promote Voter awareness, on the Council’s Website, on twitter, Instagram and all our media portals. The Register of Electors section will also liaise with the Council's Community section to raise awareness among new communities in SDCC.