Sir, – Sarah Farren in her letter (Letters Page, April 23rd) brilliantly captures the very point that we, as Ireland’s independent Electoral Commission, are making in our current series of TV and radio advertisements.
When it comes to voting in Ireland’s elections, people have the right and the desire to make up their own minds in the privacy of the polling booth.
Our adverts deliver a serious message in a series of light-hearted situations, including in a chipper, a travel agency and a hairdressing salon.
These ads portray a person’s opportunity to make up their own mind and to have their decision heard, but that opportunity is suddenly taken away from them, leaving them unheard, unseen and quite frustrated.
Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+: 10 of the best new shows to stream in June
Marvellous Mykonos: ‘Even the humble act of taking a breather is an exceptional experience here’
Irish abroad: ‘One local called me a potato eater . . . ironically, he was eating cheesy fries at the time’
Aunts fictional and real matter more to us than they may know
You wouldn’t let someone else decide your takeaway order, your haircut or your next holiday destination.
But if you don’t speak up in June 7th’s European, local and (if living in Limerick) mayoral elections, someone else is deciding for you. Your vote is your voice.
Get registered for a postal vote if eligible by May 11th; for in-person voting get registered by the May 20th deadline.
Please have your voice heard by being a voter on June 7th, 2024. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN DAWSON,
Communications and Public Engagement Manager,
An Coimisiún Toghcháin,
The Electoral Commission.
