10,000 student voters will be mobilised to vote ahead of the Seanad referendum on October 4, according to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
Following the launch of the Student Elector Registration Database (SERD) last month, voter registration drives have begun on college campuses across the country. The USI expect to have 10,000 students registered on SERD by this coming Thursday, polling day.
Students who sign up to the database will be contacted by the USI encouraging them to vote ‘No’ to the abolition of the Seanad, and opt instead “for real and meaningful political reform”.
Joe O’Connor, President of the Union, said: “Failed economic policies, broken promises and parochialism have led to a sense of disillusion with the political system, but abolishing the Seanad does nothing to fix our broken democracy.”
“Free Our Voice”, the USI’s alternative reform proposal envisages a more robust Seanad Éireann that would review past legislation and produce evidence-based policy reports, monitor certain State appointments and conduct limited public inquiries. Suggestions also include an emigrant panel to give a Seanad vote to the thousands of people who have moved abroad from Ireland, a Graduate Panel and an Education Panel.
The USI believe that the positive response to the voter registration thus far will result in a projected number of 80,000 students signed up to SERD by next year’s local and European elections. O’Connor continued, “The mobilisation of student votes in the Seanad referendum is just the beginning. Decisions made by this and any Government will be held accountable by the students of Ireland using our new SERD technology.”
The success of SERD strengthens the USI’s earlier warning to politicians that any attempt to target students in the upcoming Budget will cost them their seats.
Speaking at the launch of SERD on August 15, Joe O’Connor said, “There may have been an impression in the past that students made a lot of noise but didn’t back it up at the ballot box. That ends now. With our organisation and new technology we have the capacity to radically influence the outcome of every single election in Ireland.”
The launch of the voting database coincided with the USI’s Pre-Budget Submission, demanding the protection of the student maintenance grant and the Back to Education Allowance, a more affordable and equal postgraduate loan scheme, and investment in the European Youth Guarantee.
SERD is part of the USI’s “Fight For Your Future” campaign. In the coming year the USI also plans to marshal students and their families, totalling approximately 214,480 voters, for a referendum concerning the furthering of LGBT rights and marriage equality.
