Good morning and welcome to election day digest.
Well, here we go. After three weeks of campaigning, months of planning, and tens of billions of euros in promises, it’s time for the country to make up its mind on general election 2024. Polling day is here and voting is under way. Whatever else you do, whoever you support, get out and use your vote.
Polling stations opened at 7amafter a general election campaign that seemed to meander through a blizzard of lavish spending promises before jolting into life in the final week as concerns clarified about the likely ecomomic policies of the incoming Trump administration and their potential impact on Ireland. Polling stations across the 43 constituencies will remain open until 10pm. Follow all of the day’s news on our live story.
Almost 3.7 million people, the largest number ever, are eligible to vote in this election. More than 400,000 new voters have registered since the last election; more than 100,000 registered in the final fortnight before the deadline. It will be fascinating to see where these votes go.
Who should you vote for on Friday? Use this tool to see which candidate matches your views
Election 2024 live updates: Voting under way at polling stations around the country
Housing and cost of living dominated public debate in election campaign
General election 2024: Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil in near dead heat at end of campaign
Anecdotally, many of these are young people, something which has been seized on by some Opposition parties as promising news for them. All will be revealed.
The first results of an Irish Times/RTE/TG4/TCD exit poll will be released after polling stations close . Counting of votes will start at 9am tomorrow . First indications from tallies will begin to arrive mid-morning with first seat announcements in the afternoon. It’s going to be hectic. Hang onto yer hats.
The Irish Times will be providing detailed coverage of the count and the results this weekend.
Best Reads/Listens
It is a dead heat between Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, as reported in our lead story this morning.
How does Ireland’s PRSTV electoral system work?
The Irish Times view on using your vote: a precious right that must be defended
Here’s Harry McGee’s detailed guide on what to watch out for and where
Everything You Need To Know about how to vote, and how it works
We spoke to voters the length and breadth of the country during the camapign as part of our Meet the Voters series. Sarah Burns provides an overview of the themes and issues that emerged, many common across the constituencies.
Podcast: We had our final election daily podcast yesterday. It was a bit giddy, but no candidates were harmed in the making of it.
Still undecided?
Still making uop your mind? No problem, we can help. Check out these tools and articles.
Constituency reviews: Every constituency analysed.
Full list of candidates: Every candidate in every constituency.
Party Promises: What are the parties promising if elected and how do their manifestos compare - using this handy tool to find out.
Who should I vote for?: Compare your views with parties and candidates.
Meet the Voters: Our correspondents have been out and about meeting real people and discussing real issues, including the views of the The Irish Times’ voter panel.
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