Organisations representing Irish citizens overseas have welcomed the announcement that a referendum will be held early next year on the right of emigrants to vote in Presidential elections. Plans for a referendum were discussed last week at an interdepartmental group on diaspora affairs, chaired by Minister for the Diaspora Joe McHugh. Proposals will be brought to the Global Irish Civic Forum, a meeting of organisations and individuals working with Irish communities around the world, in Dublin next February. It is the second time such a meeting will take place; almost 200 people attended the first forum in June 2015. A recent poll of 350 Irish people who emigrated since 2008, carried out by Ipsos MRBI for The Irish Times, found 62 per cent would like a vote for the president.Sixty-three per cent wanted a say in general elections, 61 per cent in referendums, and 53 per cent in Seanad elections. The remainder of those surveyed were fairly evenly split between those who had no opinion on the issue, or who didn’t think they should have a right to vote.
Young people were more likely to have strong views, with 76 per cent of people under 25 saying they were in favour of a vote in general elections, compared with just 58 per cent of over-35s.
Marie-Claire McAleer, head of research at the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), said the referendum on the right to vote for the president would help to “foster greater connections” between Ireland and citizens overseas, and support efforts to attract young Irish emigrants to return to live here in the future.
Full Article: Referendum to give emigrants a vote for president ‘only a first step’.