A new website, www.checktheregister.ie, that allows Irish voters to check to see if they are registered to vote went live yesterday.
The initiative allows voters to check through the various county councils in Ireland and then search to see if they are registered..
The draft register is published on 1 November each year by city and county councils and is traditionally available at post offices, public libraries, Garda stations and county council offices up until 25 November.
The final register is published on 1 February and comes into force for a year on 15 February.
The new website uses the online eReg service provided by the local authorities with the support of the Local Government Computer Services Board.
The compilation of the draft register follows a door-to-door campaign by city and county councils.
The new site contains links to the 34 local authority draft registers for 2007/2008 and allows the pubic to go online and check if their details are correct.
If changes need to be made, citizens can use the RFA 1 form which can be downloaded from the site and send it to their city or county council by 25 November.
The decision to put the service up on the web comes as part of range of initiatives by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Dick Roche TD.
The new website will run in tandem with Phase 2 of an intensive advertising campaign by the Department to raise awareness of the electoral registration process and encourage citizens to ensure they are correctly registered.
By John Kennedy
