MORE THAN three million people are entitled to vote today in elections for the European Parliament and the country’s 34 county and city councils. Some people will also be able to vote in the Dublin South and Dublin Central byelections and in 75 borough and town council elections.
In statements on the eve of the vote, Taoiseach Brian Cowen defended his Government’s record while Fine Gael forecast a revolution in Irish politics and Labour appealed to people to shake up the political system.
All voters will be given two ballot papers, for the European and local elections. Voters in the two byelections will have three ballot papers as will people entitled to vote in borough and town council elections.
Polling stations will open at 7am and will remain open until 10pm. Only those on the register of electors are entitled to vote.
Voters should bring their polling cards with them but they are not a requirement. Voters may be asked to produce evidence of identity and if they fail to do so will not be allowed to vote.
Documents accepted as evidence of identity include a passport, driving licence, an employee or student identity card, a travel pass containing a photo or a temporary residence card.
Irish and EU citizens aged 18 and over are entitled to vote in the European elections for the 12 seats allocated to Ireland in the parliament.
All residents, irrespective of nationality, are entitled to vote in the local elections for the 34 county and city councils for which 883 councillors will be elected, and in the 75 borough and two council polls for the election of 744 councillors.
Irish and British citizens are entitled to vote in the two byelections to fill Dáil vacancies in Dublin South and Dublin Central.
Ballot papers in all the elections will carry a photograph of the candidates, as well as their name, the party name and party logo.
All political activity is prohibited in the vicinity of polling stations today from half an hour before they open until half an hour after they close. The prohibition applies to canvassing in any form, or displaying or distributing posters, notices or cards within 50 metres of the entrance to polling stations.
Ballot boxes will be opened at 9am tomorrow morning and after verification that the number of ballot papers from each box is correct they will be sorted into separate bundles for the European and local election counts. Counting in the local elections will then begin.
The European election count will not start until 9pm on Sunday night, when polling stations across the EU have closed. Counting in the two byelections, for which separate ballot boxes will be used, will also begin tomorrow and declarations are expected by late evening in both constituencies.
While there will be tallies from the European elections tomorrow, the full results from the four European constituencies are not expected until Monday evening.
