Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I ask him to outline what the Government is doing to raise awareness and to encourage citizens to register to vote ahead of 25 November, which is the voter registration deadline for the marriage equality referendum in 2015. It is essential to encourage citizens to register to vote and to vote, especially in light of the alarmingly low voter turnout figures from recent by-elections, for example, with only 34% of the electorate voting in Dublin South-West. I especially hope to hear what the Government is doing to ensure that young people are fully aware that they must act now to secure their vote in the marriage equality referendum next year. One in three between the ages of 18 and 25 are not registered to vote and eight out of ten young people did not vote the last time we held a referendum.
This upcoming referendum is an opportunity to end the disconnect between politics and the younger generation caused by decades of failure to deliver real political reforms. Getting young people energised and involved in the democratic process is one of our greatest challenges and the only path towards a health vibrant society. The current citizen movement signals that people need and want to be included in public decision-making in a meaningful way so that they can use their voices to shape the type of Ireland they want to live in, and I applaud civil society for its powerful efforts to encourage people to register to vote in time.
The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Marriage Equality Ireland have joined together to launch the Yes Equality campaign to encourage people to register to vote this November. The Union of Students in Ireland and SpunOut.ie have also launched their information campaigns.

The Government and political parties cannot shirk from their responsibilities so what I expect from the Government is at least to match this civil society effort. As the Minister of State is probably aware, the system to register to vote also needs to be reformed. We need to have a centralised system that is up to date, streamlined and easy to use. The procedures vary from one county council to another which leads to confusion and frustration among potential voters attempting to sign up to the electoral register. We also need to have a centralised online voter registration system. Some county councils have this but there are significant inconsistencies between councils. It is too late for this referendum but we should have this debate and I hope to hear an update from the Minister on this issue at some point. Time is running out and the Government should make every effort to get the message out to young people that there are only three weeks left in which to register to vote in the marriage equality referendum 2015. Particular emphasis should be placed on areas like Dublin South-West where, compared with the national average, a higher percentage of the population is under 25 years.