Young Roscommon man set to launch campaign promoting youth turnout at local elections

An 18-year-old Taughmaconnell native is set to launch a campaign aimed at promoting youth turnout at local elections as well as encouraging more youth candidates to run.

As a young person from County Roscommon, Sam Brooks said it was hard not to feel underrepresented in local politics. Having recently turned 18, he now wants to speak up for young people who may feel that their voice does not matter when it comes to politics.

“Almost 40% of Roscommon’s population is under the age of 30 and yet there is exactly one councillor sitting on Roscommon County Council who fits that description,” he said.

“After the last General Election, one TD said that old age should not be a restriction “for any job” not least that of a TD. As the system currently stands, I believe that old age is not a restriction but a requirement to enter politics,” he said.

The 2023 Chairperson of Roscommon Comhairle na nÓg (Roscommon’s shadow authority representing those under the age of 18) points out that almost two thirds of young people rate their trust in the Dáil and local authorities as below a “five out of 10 and is that really a shock to anybody?” “The reality is that young people do not see themselves reflected in this country's government. It is often claimed that we live in a free society and that young people can jump in when they want, and while this is true to an extent the reality is that there are very few people rushing to support young candidates and next to no political parties making their election a priority. Does this mean that old people should just get out of politics and move aside for younger generations? No, absolutely not. But it does mean that we should move to elect more young people, more women, and more minorities to positions of power. Everybody needs to be given an equal and fair chance, and as the system currently stands this is not a reality,” he said.

Sam said, despite all this, it was important to recognise what he describes as the hesitance of older generations regarding this issue. He argued that many of the older generation believed they would receive a significantly worse deal from a political landscape more representative of younger people, “but it is worth asking in what way does the status quo benefit them?” “Pension rates in Ireland are below average compared to the generosity of many of our developed neighbours such as Finland, Italy, and Spain, and there is constant talk of raising the pension age yet again. In comparison, many younger politicians across the political spectrum are firm in their support for older generations, fiercely advocating for a freeze in the pension age and a rise to the state pension. Younger people have demonstrated their support for older generations both because they care about the quality of life of their parents and grandparents and because younger people will have to experience the effects of their policies 30, 40 or 50 years down the line.” 

The Trinity College student, who is studying Sociology & Social Policy, contends that young people are not represented, and many forms of proposed representation are merely a formality on the part of government. “Reports produced by youth groups and events supported by government such as the National Youth Assembly and Comhairle na nÓg have shown the solid grasp young people have on policy and the issues facing not just themselves but also broader society. However, while some progress has been made in some areas such as increased broadband availability after the national broadband rollout, other areas like public transport continue to lag far behind with slow growth despite continued calls by youth for an improved public transport network.” 

Sam believes something needs to change, and that change can only come if more young people start registering to vote, get involved in politics on a local and national level and maybe even run for office themselves. “This works best when accompanied by older generations standing behind young people and contributing to their campaigns so that we can foster the next generation of politicians as people who care for all. Other groups also need to stand behind young people, by opening community groups to younger members along with political parties actively pledging to run and support more young candidates. Once we accomplish these goals the dominos will fall and I for one look forward to hopefully seeing a more representative county council after the elections in June.” 

He is encouraging those of all ages who want to get involved and encourage youth turnout and youth candidates in Roscommon and surrounding counties to contact him on Whatsapp/Text at 085 187 1724 or by email at sam.brooks247@gmail.com