Your vote matters

Every vote counts in referendums and elections.

Voting in referendums and elections gives you an opportunity to be part of decision-making that affects your life and the future of our country.

Your vote is your voice. If you don’t vote, others will make decisions for you.

Being a voter gives you the power to shape the future of our country.

You can vote by registering and checking your details on www.checktheregister.ie. You will then automatically receive a polling card to your registered home address in advance of the next electoral event you are eligible to vote in. You can make your voice heard by casting your vote on polling day.

Democracy works best if people participate. You can play a role in keeping our Irish democracy strong by registering to vote and getting out on polling day to have your voice heard.

Elections are decided by the people who go out and vote. If you don’t vote, someone else will make the decision for you. Your vote is your voice, make sure you use it.

Like in all areas of life, we are now using social media, online messaging and the internet to discuss current affairs, political topics and elections. We are getting a huge amount of information online from lots of different places.

The internet can be very helpful in getting facts and information and sharing different views. However, it can also sometimes be used to spread misinformation and disinformation. These words are used to describe information that is not accurate or supported by evidence, is misleading or is false. Sometimes this is information posted or spread by accident by someone who believes the information to be true and does not mean to mislead others (misinformation).  But other times false information can be posted deliberately to deceive others (disinformation).

When it comes to elections, an example of disinformation would be someone deliberately posting incorrect information about where and when you should vote or how to vote in order to confuse voters or trick them into not voting.

Sometimes videos or sound clips are published on the internet which are not real or have been changed or edited. They can depict events that never happened or that happened at a different place or time. Or they can show people saying or doing things that they did not say or do. You may have seen these described as deepfakes.

These are not new problems. However, the damage they can cause are getting more attention in recent years because false information can spread much more quickly and widely online. It is also much cheaper and easier to change and manipulate videos and audio clips.

False information is bad for elections and democracy. There have been instances of people not voting or spoiling their vote because they believed untrue information. People can also be tricked or misled into voting a particular way because of false information. Elections are at their best when voters debate and discuss their views on the issues of the day. If these discussions are based on false information, the quality of the election will be compromised.

Misinformation and disinformation and deepfakes can be hard to identify, especially when they look well presented and genuine. They are often sent by a friend, relative or via a local social media group or messaging channel. A lot of the time disinformation seeks to create a strong reaction – like being really excited or angry.

Therefore, when you are reading material, watching videos or programmes or listening to podcasts online or in the media, always ask yourself:

• How do I know this is true?
• Who is telling me this?
• Why are they telling me this?
• How can I confirm this? /How can I find out if this is correct?
• Do I need to reconsider? / Do I need to think about this some more?