Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is planning a large-scale “super canvass” of Dublin tomorrow, as part of a final push to win votes ahead of the referendum on May 25th.
In a mass campaign effort led by almost 100 Trinity students, up to 20 Together for Yes stalls will be set up across various city centre locations. Students will act as stall co-ordinators and general volunteers, providing information to the public about the Together for Yes campaign and what a “Yes” vote will mean.
With just under two weeks left until the referendum on the eighth amendment, the campaign’s attention has largely turned to face-to-face canvassing, considered key to securing last-minute votes. Canvassing efforts by the College community have surged recently, with TCDSU launching its official canvassing campaign last month. Earlier today, almost 30 Trinity staff members also took to the streets around College to hand out Together for Yes leaflets.
While recent opinion polls still indicate a lead for the “Yes” side, many people remain undecided. On Saturday, the pro-life campaign staged a rally at Merrion Square.
“The supercanvass is a great opportunity for students to show that we are leading on this issue and have been for years,” Kevin Keane, the President of TCDSU, told The University Times.
“Tomorrow marks the launch of the Get Out to Vote Campaign, which is extremely important and primarily targeted at students and young people.”
With the referendum drawing closer, campaign efforts by TCDSU, which has long been part of the national student movement to repeal the eighth amendment, have intensified. Last week, the union became an official stockist of Together for Yes, selling merchandise in House Six. It also recently ran last-minute voter registration drives, which resulted in over 1,000 people getting registered in one day.
Young people and students, Keane said, are “leading on this issue and are extremely passionate about it and want to usher in a new era of equality in Ireland”.
Correction: May 15th, 2018
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that a pro-life demonstration at Merrion Square took place last Sunday. In fact, it took place on Saturday.
