Chambers Call for Strong Voter Turnout in Forthcoming EU and Local Elections

Launching the ‘Our Time to Vote’ Campaign at the Custom House in Dublin, pictured left to right are Peter Byrne, Chief Executive, South Dublin Chamber; Paula McCaul, Chief Executive, County Meath Chamber; Mary Rose Burke, Chief Executive, Dublin Chamber; Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; Shona McManus, President, Drogheda Chamber; Conor Healy, Chief Executive, Cork Chamber.

Ahead of local and European elections taking place on 24 May, Chambers Ireland, as the national voice of Ireland’s largest business network, launches the “Our Time To Vote” campaign. The campaign calls on voters to support candidates who are committed to realising a long-term vision for our communities by improving planning, investing in our cities and regions and supporting how we transition to a resilient low carbon economy.

Speaking this morning, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive Ian Talbot calls on the business community to engage with candidates and turn out to vote on 24 May.

“Although they have the largest franchise, Local and European elections aren’t prioritised in the same way as general elections and turn-out is often low. Today, with the support of our network of 41 Chambers, we are launching the “Our Time To Vote” campaign in an effort to give these elections the attention they merit.

Our members want to see sustainable communities thrive in locally vibrant economic environments, but in order to achieve this, we need to elect representatives who share this vision. Our goal in this campaign is to help educate Chamber members and voters as to the importance of these institutions and encourage them to turn out to vote.

Local government make decisions on housing, transport and infrastructure, and these decisions shape our daily lives. More significantly, decisions that are made at European level dictate the choices our governments can make across a wide range of issues, from trade to agriculture to regulation. We must not underestimate the opportunity we have before us on the 24 May to elect representatives who will work to build a prosperous, sustainable Ireland.

We encourage every eligible person in the country to ensure that they are registered to vote, and then to vote on polling day 24 May itself. Every adult, legally resident in Ireland, can vote in at least one of the upcoming elections. The deadline for voter registration is this Tuesday, 7 May. This is Our Time to Vote.”

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Notes

To access Chambers Ireland’s Elections 2019 hub on the Chambers Ireland website, click here.

To access Chambers Ireland’s Local Elections Manifesto, click here.

To access Chambers Ireland’s EU Elections Manifesto, click here.

For further information contact Gabriel Doran, Communications & Public Affairs Executive on 01 400 4331, 086 608 1605 or email gabriel.doran@www.chambers.ie