NUI Galway Students’ Union to host General Election hustings for Galway West – South Mayo
NUI Galway Students’ Union will be hosting a hustings for all Galway West – South Mayo candidates for the upcoming General Elections. The Hustings will take place in NUI Galway on February 4th at 6pm. Galway students’ unions registered over 9,000 students to vote this year alone. Both NUI Galway Students’ Union and GMIT Students’ Union are working together to get students mobilised for the elections.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has teamed up with smartvote.ie to help students make an informed vote in the general elections and aim to build on the momentum from the Marriage Equality Referendum last May.
Students’ Union President Phelim Kelly said: “Students are ready. Last May we saw just how powerful the student vote is and we will vote for the candidates/parties who have our best interests at hand. We have registered so many students that candidates simply must engage with us. Third level funding is at the top of our manifesto and we cannot be side-lined in the next government. We are delighted to work with GMIT Students’ Union on the general election. We have been working together on this since July in our pre-budget lobbying and will continue to do this even after the election result.”
NUI Galway Students’ Union will in collaboration with GMIT Students’ Union run with the national #MakeASmartVote campaign which has been trending over Ireland with the national student hustings. Smartvote.ie has been described as a tinder for politics enabling young people and students to make an informed vote on the various issues facing Ireland’s youth today. Speaking on Smartvote Phelim Kelly said “One of the major problems with political engagement for young people is that they are not sure who or what party they should vote for. Smartvote will match the student with the candidate who has the similar ideals as them and will really give students an ownership of their vote. I am really excited to see how this will affect the election results.”
GMIT Students’ Union will host a hustings for all Galway East candidates the following week on Tuesday February 9th at 6pm. GMIT Students’ Union President Michael Kerrigan added “The student voice is louder than it has been in years, these hustings will give students a chance to raise issues as well as helping them to decide who best to vote for.
Updated event information including list of attendees can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/725831710852159/
