The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice was established in 1996 to work for social and economic change by tackling poverty and exclusion. In its mission to bring about social and economic change the partnership has developed a two-pronged approach to tackling the issues of poverty and exclusion by (a) carrying out in-depth research into what is needed for a minimum essential standard of living and (b) by establishing an Active Citizenship/Voter Education programme in Ireland.
The www.vote.ie website developed by the VPSJ in 2006 provides a wealth of information on Active Citizenship and voting in Ireland. The website provides another means of making our message about Active Citizenship and the importance of participation in the democratic process more accessible to the general public. There are practical sections on registration, completing a ballot paper, how we are governed and further ways to engage with politicians. The website also provides information and resources such as flyers, posters and new workshop materials to members of the National Active Citizenship Network. The site has been a huge success and proved a very useful resource for many in the run-up to the General Election in 2007 when it received a record number of hits.
The Active Citizenship/Voter Education Programme that is used by the VPSJ was adapted with permission from NETWORK Washington, who had their own American Voter Education Programme. The programme which was amended to meet the needs of Irish voters, is strictly non-party political, and has been very successful in encouraging people to register to vote and have their say in the democratic process. The programme which is 15 per cent presentation and 85 per cent participation is divided into three units. The first unit deals ‘Our Voices, Our Vote’, whilst the second unit covers ‘Issues’ and the third looks at ‘Candidates’.