Your Vote-Your Right - Register Now!

Sinn Fein is urging everyone aged 17 and over to ensure that they register to vote before Monday 13th November in what could be the last electoral registration canvas carried out by the electoral office for the next ten years.In a joint statement, Seán Begley, the Chair of Omagh District Council and Gerard Foley, the Vice Chair of Strabane District Council, said,“Your vote is your right so register now to claim it.

“In recent years tens of thousands of people have been disenfranchised because the British government introduced highly elaborate hurdles in the way of people wishing to exercise their democratic right to vote at the behest of the SDLP and Unionist parties.

“One of the most damaging mechanisms introduced under this flawed electoral legislation was the doing away of the household registration form and its replacement with the individual registration form which had to be filled in each Autumn. For a wide variety of reasons people did not get to register each year with the result that the electoral register has been continually shrinking.

“Sinn Fein successfully argued the case that this annual obligation be scrapped and replaced with at least a ten year register. We also argued that the current register be the starting point of this new ten year register but the electoral office in its wisdom has decided that they will be starting with a blank sheet of paper for this last electoral canvas.

“If you are not registered, you cannot vote. It is therefore imperative that you now register for the final annual canvas.“Sinn Fein members will be engaged in a thorough electoral registration drive throughout the constituency in the coming weeks and will offer any assistance you require in helping to make sure you get registered“Electoral registration forms are available from schools, colleges, community centres, local council offices, Sinn Fein offices or can be downloaded from the Electoral Office website: www.electoralofficeni.gov.uk“As Electoral Office Canvassers have stop collecting forms from individual households, people anyone who has not already registered to vote must now send their completed individual registration form to the Omagh Area Electoral Office at 21, Kevlin Avenue, Omagh, BT78 1ER, before the preliminary closing date of Monday 13th November 2006.PHOTO ID NEEDED TO VOTE We would also like to highlight the fact that Current Electoral Legislation requires that everyone wishing to vote in elections in the six counties must produce the following specific pieces of Photographic Identification: A current Passport, A current Driving Licence, A Photographic ID Card issued by the Electoral Office.(Photo ID application forms also available at your Sinn Fein Offices in Omagh and Strabane) or a Senior Citizens Travel Smartcard. ENDS