A GLOBAL political campaign supported by celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Madonna and Samuel L Jackson chose Ballymun for its recent launch in Ireland.
Rock The Vote was set up in the US in 1990 and uses music, pop culture and new technologies to encourage young people to register and vote.
An Irish branch of the campaign was launched in The Reco, Ballymun, just before the two recent referendums on same-sex marriage and lowering the age of eligibility for presidential election.
Rock the Vote has been a staggering success in the US. Two years after its launch, election polls showed a 20 per cent increase in youth turnout over the prior Presidential election, ending 20 years of declining youth participation.
In 2004, more than 1.2 million young people used the Rock the Vote website to register to vote and more than 15,000 Rock the Vote volunteers and local partners registered an additional 200,000 voters.
In 2008, Using a combination of online, mobile and grassroots outreach, Rock The Vote generated more than 2.25 million voter registration applications and fuelled a third consecutive increase in young voter turnout.
Now a coalition of organisations in Ireland – including youth groups, schools and electoral organisations – are hoping to replicate its success in Ireland.
Charity group, Public Achievement, holds a licence for Rock the Vote in the UK and Ireland and Rock The Vote organiser, Deirdre Dunne, explained why voting was so important.
“When you don’t use your vote you are not using your power, you are giving it away,
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“Politicians will not take young voters seriously unless we are serious about voting and participating.
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Ballymun was chosen for the launch due to high levels of political interest in the area.