Citizenship costs hurt young voter participation, says student chief

UCD student union president, originally from Poland, unable to vote in election

The high cost of Irish citizenship is preventing hundreds of young adults who moved to Ireland as children from participating in the general election, says the president of the UCD Students' Union Joanna Siewierska, who is originally from Poland.

The high cost of Irish citizenship is preventing hundreds of young adults who moved to Ireland as children from participating in the general election, the president of the UCD Student’s Union (SU) has said.

Joanna Siewierska, a UCD law and social justice graduate and the university’s current SU president, says the €175 application fee, combined with the €950 payment to secure citizenship, has created a barrier for many young people who want to vote.

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