Deadline today: register to vote

TODAY IS the deadline to register to vote in the referendum on the fiscal treaty on May 31st.

The treaty obliges states to keep budget deficits and public debts within tight limits.

Irish citizens who are not yet registered to vote have until close of business today to submit an application to their local authorities for inclusion on the supplementary register of electors.

Application forms are available from city and county councils or online at checktheregister.ie, but the form cannot be submitted online and must be printed off and brought to a local authority office.

Completing the application form also requires a trip to a local Garda station. Applicants must sign a declaration that the information on the form is true, and must also have the certificate of identity on the form completed and stamped by a garda.

If for some reason an applicant cannot attend a Garda station the form may be witnessed at the offices of the local authority. However, in this case the applicant must state in writing why he or she could not attend the local Garda station. Photographic identification and other supporting identification documentation such as a utility bill should also be brought to the local authority.

If an applicant cannot attend a Garda station or local authority offices due to physical illness or physical disability a doctor must complete a medical certificate section of the form, which must still be submitted to the local authority by close of business, but not necessarily by the applicant.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for students not registered to vote to do so by the end of the day. USI president Gary Redmond said it was of particular relevance to students to ensure they were registered at the appropriate address.

“I am encouraging students that [sic] will be unable to get home to vote because of exams or assignment to consider using the change of address form to allow them to vote near their college.”