A public consultation has been launched by An Coimisiún Toghcháin focused on getting people to come out and vote in elections in Ireland.
The campaign comes after turnout in recent elections has been declining, including in the November General Election when turnout dropped to 59.7%, down from 62.9% in 2020 and 65.2% in 2020.
In 1981, turnout in the General Election was 77%.
An Coimisiún is building an education and public engagement strategy focused specifically on getting people engaged with democratic processes in the country.
It has identified four initial areas on which to focus:
Formal education - to engage students in the democratic processes with the aim of encouraging them to register and begin voting as soon as they reach 18.
Adult and community education - to encourage greater participation in the electoral process among participants.
Groups experiencing barriers - to improve democratic participation of disadvantaged groups by helping encourage discussion, remove barriers and provide access to information.
National public engagement - to connect with as wide a spectrum of society as possible by looking at national projects and initiatives to encourage and increase electoral engagement across society.
The Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Art O'Leary, said: "Our objectives are simple, but challenging - everyone who is eligible to vote should be on the electoral register, everyone should know how to vote and how their vote works, and everyone on the register should vote on polling day.
"All of us have an individual voice in our democracy, so it’s important to make sure we get to use it whenever we get the opportunity. We want to hear from you, young or old, whether you have never voted before or vote every time - tell it like it should be!
"Your contribution to our education strategy will help us to encourage people to get more involved in our democracy.
"We want to amplify the good work that is already happening and to provide easy access to education and information so that everyone feels that they belong in our electoral system."
