Billy Lawless (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Adams and Crowe for their presentation. I am very much in favour of this Bill. I am a founder member of votingrights.iein the United States with Ms Noreen Bowden and Mr. Kevin Sullivan. We have put much more into this, no more than the witnesses. It is just wrong that people do not have a vote in these circumstances. I could not vote for 16 years and when I became an American citizen two years ago, I was like a little child with my first lollipop when I went to vote. Politics is very strong in my personal agenda. I was disenfranchised all those years and it was terrible. I really wanted to make sure that I voted as a result.

I have spoken with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Taoiseach about this. The graduates of the National University of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin vote in the Seanad elections and there does not seem to be any problem. The pitfalls put in front of us include how to set up a register, as we are told it would cost a fortune. The benefit we get from our citizens voting would far outweigh the cost.

I point out to many that the Government makes decisions that affect emigrants. Many of us emigrants have homes in Ireland and pay whatever taxes we have to pay. One hears the argument about no representation without taxation. That goes back to commonisation, or the 1700s and 1800s. As such, it is not an argument. The benefits would far outweigh any disadvantage. One has to get young people involved in politics. Sinn Féin is an example of a party that seems to have a very young base. Young people are interested in politics and were never more so than in the marriage equality referendum. Who would ever have predicted the number who came back to vote in that referendum? Many came from Australia, at considerable cost, to vote in it. It was fantastic and the talk of the world. This is the only country in the world that has had an open vote on the issue of marriage equality. Young people will engage and should be engaged. We heard the debates in recent days on the leadership of Fine Gael. It was a fantastic example of democracy because members were given a chance to voice their opinions. If one of the contestants had pulled out, what would have been the point in changing the voting system in that party? It goes to show what I describe. Young people are highly motivated when they get involved in politics.

When I returned on 3 May, just before the meetings of the civic forum on 4 and 5 May, I organised a press conference on voting rights. We received all-party support. Representatives spoke on behalf of all of the parties.

The most important thing we must do concerns the options, on which a good point was made. We have to get it right because we have only one shot at it. We will not get a second chance. Our record on referendums is not good. With the first chance, we may still have to wait until 2025. I refer to the Presidential election, according to what the Taoiseach and the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, told me. The options are very important. I have spoken to many members of my family in Ireland and noted that they are not all in favour of what is proposed. Therefore, we have to sell it. It has to be an all-party affair, not half-hearted. Many of the referendums we have held were half-hearted. The question was thrown at the people and allowed to run its course, only for the Government to find out that it was in a mess and that it was required to hold a referendum again, which was crazy. We need to get the option right, whatever it is. We have to sell our proposal big-time to the people, but I am not sure how open it is. There is talk about extending the right to passport holders alone on the basis that if one pays money to obtain a passport, one is committed. It is said we would be swamped, or that one party or the other might be swamped. That is the parties' fault. If they are not able to organise, they should not be in the game. I would not have any fear about this. It is democracy and we want to strengthen ours. What better way than what I propose? Per capita we have one of the biggest diasporas in the world. Even leaving that aside, we have one of the biggest diasporas. The most important point is that we have to get the option right and ensure all parties are behind us on it. I certainly support the Bill.