We may have left the country but we should still have the right to have a say in an election that is more pertinent to us than I would dare to say any other Irish person.
The next 10 years in Ireland will dictate whether we will return to our home country or settle as ex-pats.
We are the living statistics of this recession and it seems ludicrous to me that we don't have an opportunity to use our votes.
So in lieu of a real democratic right to be involved in the future of our country and as a by-product our own life plans, I offer the below website.
It's not a real vote but it's better than saying nothing...
This is a forwarded email from The Meet Up group for the Irish in Toronto.......
New website will allow Irish emigrants to cast symbolic “vote” in General Election
A new website, launched today, Tuesday 8 February, will allow Irish emigrants to cast a symbolic vote in the General Election.
Ballotbox.ie will open for voting from Tuesday 15 February until Tuesday 22 February and will feature a full list of constituencies and candidates to choose from.
The aim is to highlight how emigrants are immediately disenfranchised once they leave Ireland. This is in stark contrast to many other democracies, including Australia, Canada, the UK and most other EU countries.
An estimated 3.1 million Irish passport holders live abroad, with 800,000 being Irish-born. Nearly 28,000 citizens left Ireland in the year ending April 2010, and at least 60,000 have left in the last three years. With very few exceptions, Irish law prevents them from casting a vote.
Set up by young Irish emigrants and implemented by a volunteer staff in Dublin, BallotBox.ieaims to give these people a voice. Voting will be based on the Irish single transferrable vote - proportional representation system. Through the use of IP technology, participation will be restricted to those living outside Ireland. The site aims to use both email and SMS technology to discourage multiple voting. The results will be released shortly before the general election.
Welcoming the launch of Ballotbox.ie, Niall O’Dowd, founder of the Irish Voice newspaper in the US and prominent figure in the Northern Irish peace process, said:
“I believe that Irish citizens abroad, like those of all other EU countries, should be afforded the right to vote. Those same emigrants have been deeply impacted in their life decisions by the policies Irish politicians and governments have pursued. They are entitled to make their views known too. I welcome the launch of Ballotbox.ie and hope it raises awareness of this important issue.”
About BallotBox.ie
Ballotbox.ie was set up by young Irish emigrants to Canada and is run by an entirely voluntary staff in Toronto and Dublin. It has no political affiliations.
2 comments:
brilliant idea.. primarily young people are excluded by emigration , and also many by being in cities away from home within Ireland lose their vote. The renegotiation of home mortgages to whatever it takes, be it 60years length to keep people in their homes has to be an election issue .
When I emigrated to the US in 1990 this topic was on the front burner for the Irish Immigration Reform Committee in San Francisco, and over the years I can still remember the long stream of visiting Irish politicians who used to swing by on their various junkets making promises and commitments that they would work to reform this most unfair practice of not allowing us a voice.
Caoimhe, Thank for posting this item about BallitBox.ie it's an excellent idea. I have registered and I'm ready to cast my "symbolic" ballot, but of course only sorry that it will not be one that counts.
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