Sir, – Further to “NUI and Trinity graduates could storm some barricades if they register to vote – now”(Opinion & Analysis, February 25th), there is no secrecy surrounding graduates’ entitlement to claim their vote, and the universities do all they can to encourage graduates to register and vote in elections.
The National University of Ireland, with the full cooperation of our member institutions, actively promotes registration. Full information about registration is available on the nui.ie website. At every graduation ceremony, graduating students in UCC, NUI Galway, UCD, Maynooth, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Institute of Public Administration, the National College of Art and Design, and the other colleges linked with NUI, receive Seanad Éireann registration forms. Annually, university and college alumni offices send information to their alumni communities, via email and social media. The NUI places press notices jointly with Trinity College Dublin (this notice appeared in The Irish Times on February 12th). The Seanad Éireann registration deadline is the top news story on the NUI website throughout the month of February (11,000 unique page views were recorded for February 20th to 26th. The registration process and deadline are heavily promoted through NUI social media throughout January and February. Ireland's embassies and consulates help us in publicising the entitlement to register and the February 26th deadline among NUI graduates living and working overseas.
In spite of these efforts, in a very crowded space for news, it remains a considerable challenge for NUI to attract attention for the Seanad Éireann register. We are fully committed to promoting graduate participation in the election of members of Seanad Éireann, a central pillar of our democratic system. Since your article appeared, the NUI has received and is responding to over 1,400 emails concerning inclusion in its register. – Yours, etc,
ATTRACTA HALPIN,
Registration Officer,
NUI Seanad Éireann
constituency,
Merrion Square, Dublin 2.