PEOPLE have been urged to check if they're eligible to vote in Ireland's upcoming abortion referendum before the registration deadline next week.
Irish citizens have until May 8 to register ahead of the long-awaited vote on the Eighth Amendment on May 25.
James Doorley, deputy director of the National Youth Council of Ireland, has encouraged younger voters to check if they are registered online.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Mr Doorley said people should check the website checktheregister.ie ahead of the ballot.
If people are not registered to vote they can download the necessary forms from the website, he said.
"There is a form called an RSA2 form. You need to fill that out and bring it to your local Garda station with identification, and they will need to sign and stamp that form," said Mr Doorley.
"Once that's done, you just need to post it back to your local city or county council.
"But it has to be done by Tuesday 8 May, so with the bank holiday next Monday, we really are encouraging people not to leave it till the last minute."
Mr Doorley said that a Red C Poll conducted last year found 22 percent of people aged 18-29 were not registered to vote.
He added that it has been far from easy to ensure that everyone entitled to vote is on the register.
"60,000 young people turned 18 in the last 12 months so there is a constant struggle to ensure they are entitled to vote," he said.
"That's why we're putting out a call today to encourage and remind people that there is a deadline upcoming."
See More: Abortion Referendum, Eighth Amendment, Ireland
