Classes given by the Vincentian Partnership aim to teach people how to cast their vote during an election.
Sr Bernadette MacMahon gives classes on the electoral system, and the dos and don’ts of voting. At St Helena’s Family Resource Centre in Finglas Sr Bernadette describes the work she has been doing.
We’re campaigning to get people to recognise that their vote is their power.
The education programme is supported by organisations like the Finglas South Community Development Project, as according to Leon Kelly,
We found that in areas like this that there was a low turnout, and that we want to increase the voter participation.
Fiachra McGuirk, from St Helena's Family Resource Centre, feels that programmes like this give people the confidence to talk to politicians about issues that are of concern to them when they call to the door at election time, and how to understand election literature.
The women attending the class went away having had all their polling questions answered and armed with practical advice on how to maximise their vote, with one lady saying,
Coming here today has made me think again, that I will vote.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 15 May 2007. The reporter is Martina Fitzgerald.
