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Registration for election and referendum voting closes today

If you haven’t gotten your vote sorted out yet, you’ve only got a few hours left to fix it. Here’s what you need to do.

TODAY IS THE LAST day for registering for a vote for this year’s Presidential election and referenda – and for the Dáil by-election, for those living in Dublin West.

If your circumstances haven’t changed since the general election in February – i.e. you still live at the same address you were registered to then – then it’s almost certain that you should be set to vote as per normal on October 27.

If you’ve moved or only just turned 18, though, you’ll need to get your forms signed, stamped and delivered pretty pronto – because your local authority will need them by this afternoon in order to allow you to vote.

Here’s what you need to do if you’re looking to get your name on the register for 17 days’ time.

First of all, you need to be clear about whether you’re entitled to vote or not. Except for Dublin West, this month’s ballots are only extended to Irish citizens. In Dublin West, British citizens are also entitled to cast ballots, but only in the Dáil by-election.

Secondly, you should go to www.checktheregister.ie and see whether you’re already registered at your current address. If you are, great – you can stop reading now.

If you’re not on the register, you’ll need to act fast. Go to your current local authority’s website and find its ‘Register to Vote’ section – the chances are there’ll be a prominent link somewhere close to the front.

If you’re not previously on the register, at any address, download form RFA2. If you’re registered elsewhere, and need to get your address changed, download form RFA3.

Fill out the first page of the form, but don’t sign it – you’ll have to do that in the presence of a Garda, who will want some sort of photo ID. They will stamp the form, fill out the second page, and return it to you.

Your form is now complete, but given that the closing rate for applications to vote is today, you won’t have time to post it –  so you’ll need to physically drop it to the council, at the address listed on the form (probably in the top-left).

Given the volume of applications each council might receive, you should not expect any written acknowledgement if your letter – though some councils will allow you to call them and ensure that you have been added.

It’s also worth noting that many/most councils will not update the electronic version of the register – so don’t panic if you don’t see your name being added to the online edition of the register.

More: Poll shows support for passing two referendums

In full: TheJournal.ie’s coverage of the Race for the Áras >

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    Mute Sinabhfuil
    Favourite Sinabhfuil
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:08 AM

    Ah, tis well I remember driving past one of the Dublin Corporation developments of the 1980s with a well-off professional in the building industry. He pointed at it in a fury. “Look at that! Materials and work to an inspected standard no private builder could possibly afford!”
    Remember when a house being built by a council was a guarantee of quality? The best of materials, workmanship inspected stringently, everything done perfectly.

    85
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    Mute Kate Ellen Egan
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:57 AM

    There are people who got corporation houses when they were on hard times at small rent , bought them when they were a little better off for well below the market value but come the Celtic Tiger ,kids gone they were sold for mega bucks ,was that a fair thing to do ? after all corporation houses were the original social housing schemes

    78
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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:11 AM

    Social housing should never be sold to a private owner. It distorts the market completely and is entirely unfair to regular buyers, particularly those just above the threshold for SH.

    64
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    Mute GATHERINGYOURMONEY14
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    Jul 12th 2014, 4:52 PM

    Part “V”
    How appropriate.
    The establishment yet again gives the V sign to the working poor middle-classes.

    7
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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:08 PM

    Great, you work hard and save for years to get your own space and then a family of welfare bums moves next door to you for free.

    56
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    Mute George Grey
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:28 AM

    Developers milked and milking the system. Many broke developers are now employed by NAMA to look after their greedy and failed projects. In tow with the banks they decimated any vision for sustainable housing projects in this country. The real hindrance to the industry is not social housing but rather a desire to maximise profits with little cost.

    53
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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:20 PM

    On the RTE news two months ago there was an item about Cluid Housing Association handing over two beautiful new houses to a Nigerian single mother and a Polish family. We are never going to be able to build hoses for everyone who decides to come here.
    We should concentrate on housing our own people first.

    48
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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:22 PM

    Europe would slap you for saying that. Your not allowed. You must do as they say in the Union……

    27
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    Mute Junkie Joe Joyce
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    Jul 12th 2014, 4:18 PM

    “Our own” have had it too easy for generations. I’ve no doubt that a Nigerian or Polish family would appreciate social housing far more than many of our own anti-social degenerates.

    12
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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 7:02 PM

    Now that truly is genius, lets teach our poor a lesson by bringing in the Worlds poor.

    5
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    Mute Robert Meade
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:05 AM

    So sticking a few social housing units into a new estate is the government’s answer to social integration?

    38
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    Mute Patlyndo
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:19 AM

    Got it is painful to watch. The same eejits, discussing the same problems with the same eejits and coming up with the same solutions, that have not, did not and will not work to address the “social” housing issue.

    32
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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:57 AM

    Do they ever consider that the reason so much social housing is needed is because the price of property is way out of line with the average wage? 25% of children are born to single parent families now. 50% of people in social housing are single parents. Single parenthood is becoming the new normal. The solution is not to milk the taxpayers, but to let the price of property naturally reduce to suit market demand. A single parent who minimum wage should be able to afford their own home. They are not an edge case any more. They are becoming the majority.

    19
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:16 PM

    So we should sell property cheaper than the materials? How about the other parent pays for their child and people actual aim for better employment.

    41
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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:47 PM

    not at all. The high price of property is not because of the materials used, it is because prices are unnaturally inflated due to a number of reasons. One reason is, people are told the state will pay their retirement costs, so instead of needing to save money for retirement, they have more available to spend on property. The price of property is only what people are willing to pay. We have a society now where people work 40-50 hours a week just to pay for the box you get to leave your stuff in while you are away working to pay for the box to leave your stuff in. Then the other factor is the increasing number of people who rely on social housing. 100,000 people are living in social housing within Dublin city’s canals. This decreases the amount of property available to own/rent pushing property prices higher and also removes the demand for low cost housing from the market, as this cost is being born by the tax payer who are paying for housing in some of the most desirable city centre locations.

    10
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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:13 PM

    oh and we’re not talking about paying for children here which of course both parents should help. A single parent family needs two homes, one for the father and one for the mother. The children could split their time between the homes making their support share equal, but two homes are still needed. One has to be paid for by the mother and one has to be paid for by the father. This sort of family is becoming more and more common now. They used to be an infrequent edge case so the cost has been born by the tax payer as the majority of families had two parents, needing only one housing making the cost of buying a home a single parent prohibitive. Now though, more and more families are living in single parent homes – 25% and growing meaning 50% of social housing now goes to them, paid for by the tax payer. What needs to happen instead is that the market adjusts to meet the new reality of home-owners. It’s quite realistic to this. We don’t have the money to fund an ever increasing number of single parent homes. House prices just need to drop to a level that is affordable by the new market instead of being propped up by tax-payers. It’s a no brainer. However the biggest opponent to this is the state and the banks who likes to keep inflating the cost of housing because it is a cash cow.

    7
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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:15 PM
    11
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:17 PM

    You don’t even see your own argument in your suggestion. Why would people bother if the can have a child and get really cheap housing and work a low paying job.
    If you reckon it is viable to provide houses @ 65k and make a profit I suggest you become a developer. Of course it requires non union workers and free land.
    Personally I think we should be trying to use the stock we have. Maybe give tax incentives to retired people to move from the prime locations that are well serviced for families and those working. The capacity for city suburbs is grossly under used.

    9
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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:33 PM

    That’s how it works in England. Private/key worker/social units in each development.

    6
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