Youth organisations call for elections to held on a Saturday to avoid LC clash

Mike Finnerty

11 months ago

Various youth organisations, such as the Young Greens, Labour Youth, Ógra Shinn Féin, the USI, the National Youth Council and the Irish Second-Level Students Union have written to the Taoiseach to request that Ireland goes to the polls on a Saturday this year for the upcoming local and European elections.

The various groups have called for the votes to be held on Saturday, June 8th, to avoid a clash with the Leaving Certificate.

European Parliament elections take place over three days, with Ireland traditionally voting on a Friday, but other European nations vote on a Saturday (as is the case with Slovakia) or Sunday (as is the case with France, Spain and Germany.)

The general election of 2020 was held on a Saturday in a bid to boost turnout and make it easier for younger people to vote.

“If the elections clash with the Leaving Cert exams, thousands of students will be discouraged from voting,” the statement reads.

“We understand the necessity of choosing suitable dates for elections, we are deeply concerned that the dates currently proposed will clash with the schedule of the Leaving Cert examinations which is a critical period for young people across the country.”

They said the potential clash “presents a significant barrier for young people who wish to engage with the voting process” and said it is “crucial” to remove any barriers that “may hinder young people from participating in the electoral process.”

The last two European elections were held in the last week of May, with the 2009 local and European elections taking place in June.