SERVICES
Monaghan County Council Supporting Voter Participation.
Monaghan County Council in conjunction with Monaghan Public Participation Network has produced a new information booklet to support more people in the community to come out and vote in the upcoming Local and European elections.
Your Vote Your Voice- an Easy to Read Guide to Voting explains the voting process in Ireland and how you can exercise your right to vote.
The publication is responding to issues identified in several different public consultations carried out recently in County Monaghan. Consultations with older people, people with disabilities and migrant communities all highlighted the need for more simplified information on voting. Consultations identified a significant lack of awareness of the voting process among many people in the community. The lack of awareness was largely due to inaccessible information.
Many older people were unaware they could apply for a postal vote or have someone assist them at the polling station. Many people from other countries now living in Monaghan didn’t know Ireland uses a secret ballot system of voting.
Social Inclusion officer with Monaghan County Council stated “It was quite surprising the amount of people in the community who were unsure of the voting process and the supports that are available to assist people to vote. For many this was the reason they didn’t vote. We decided to produce a guide that would provide clear and simple information on all aspects of voting in Ireland.”
Your Vote Your Voice includes information on the different types of elections and voting that takes place in Ireland. How you register to vote, marking a ballot paper and supports that are in place to help you vote.
Monaghan County Council is committed to the promotion and embedding of accessibility and inclusion across all its functions and services. Over the past number of years Monaghan has taken the lead in the local government sector through highlighting and addressing barriers experienced by people when trying to access information and services. This publication is another example Monaghan County Council’s commitment to the promotion of equality in its customer services.
Monaghan Public Participation Network (PPN) was established following the enactment of the Local Government Act 2014. PPNs were set up in every local authority area to provide a mechanism by which citizens can have a greater say in local government decisions which affect their own communities. Monaghan Public Participation Network empowers, enables and encourages people and communities to become involved, to have their say, to contribute, and to help shape the policies and programmes which impact on all of us.
Monaghan Public Participation Network currently has a membership of over 500 community groups from across the county. Active citizenship is a key role for the PPN and the production of YOUR VOTE YOUR VOICE an Easy to Read Guide to Voting aims to promote active citizenship in the county by ensuring information how to vote is accessible and easy to understand and subsequently encouraging more people to vote.
Monaghan County Council and Monaghan Public Participation Network will officially launch YOUR VOTE YOUR VOICE on Thursday 18th April in St. Joseph’s Pastoral Centre in Monaghan town. Staff from the county council will be available to register people to vote and answer any questions people may have.
While some of the information in the booklet is relevant to County Monaghan only, most of the information contained in the publication relates to voting in any county.
Copies of YOUR VOTE YOUR VOICE an Easy to Read Guide to Voting are available here:
Your Vote Your Voice An Easy To Read Guide To Voting (PDF)
or by contacting
Bernie Bradley
047 73727 bbradley@monaghancococ.ie