One in three young people not registered to vote, according to Red C poll

The number of young people not registered to vote has increased in the past five years to almost one in three, according to a new poll.

The Red C poll commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) shows 30 per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 25 were not registered to vote in the local and European elections.

That compares with 26 per cent in a similar poll conducted by the council five years ago.

The problem is worse among the 18-to-21 age group with some 43 per cent not registered to vote. That compares with a figure of 36 per cent in 2009.

The other significant findings from the poll are that more than half of those in the 19-25 age cohort who were registered to vote cast votes in the May elections.

In addition, the findings show that considerably more people in this age group voted for Sinn Féin in May than did those in older age groups. In the local elections some 27 per cent of 18-25-year-olds voted for Sinn Féin, almost twice the overall level of support for the party, which was 15 per cent.

Commenting on the findings, NYCI assistant director James Doorley said: “These findings demonstrate once again that the current voter registration system is outdated and failing and must be overhauled. The survey confirms anecdotal evidence that many young people who do want to vote are prevented from doing so because they are not registered in time.”

He welcomed the commitment in the recent Statement of Government Priorities 2012- 2014 to establish an electoral commission by 2015. However, he noted such a body has been promised by successive governments since 2007.

“Action is now long overdue. Setting up the electoral commission is only the first step. Such a body must review and reform the electoral registration system to bring it into the 21st century. Ideally, young people should be automatically registered when they reach voting age,” he said.

Separately, the latest political poll by Red C for the Sunday Business Post showed support for Coalition parties up by four per cent with independents suffering the biggest fall in support. Fine Gael's support rose three points to 28 per cent; Labour was up 1 per cent to 8 per cent; Sinn Féin was up 1 per cent to 23 per cent; Fianna Fáil was unchanged at 18 per cent and Independents were down five points at 23 per cent.