Rock the Vote is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation that will officially launch in spring 2007 with the aim of mobilising young people to create positive social and political change in their lives and communities. The goal of Rock the Vote’s media campaigns and street and campus team activities will be to increase youth voter turnout in the 2007 Irish General Election.

Wow! Awesome! So, like, in my face! The intention is good though… Irish blogger Maman Poulet is on the ball:

Maman Poulet would usually have no problem in supporting anything that mobilises young people to stick their number 1 (and other votes) on the ballot paper. However Rockthevote.ie with lots of money and no sense it seems are launching in April 07 - that’s one month before the general election folks. Whilst young people are being turned off voting in their droves by crap debates and crapper posters, this crowd aim to break through all the noise in 43 constituencies complete with a Constituency and Community Director and get young people out to vote. Oh yes and when the electoral register is closed and supplemental registration is extremely difficult to do.

And she gets a comment from someone involved with the site on that post who says:

The starting date does confound common sense, and so you’re entirely right to ask why April 2nd? The answer is that the starting date is based on watertight international evidence. The experience from elsewhere is conclusive and the statistics speak for themselves: starting more than 4 weeks before the day of a national election is highly ineffective - 6 weeks is the absolute limit, with the last week being the most crucial. Like it or not that is the reality and that is the reason we are launching on April 2nd and not March 2nd or tomorrow.

Rockthevote.ie.