Presidential Election: All you need to know about voting in Mayo this Friday

It's an election like no other, as the same ballot paper will appear before voters in every part of the country.

County Mayo is gearing up for tomorrow’s presidential election with significant improvements to accessibility and extensive logistical preparations across one of Ireland’s most diverse constituencies.

Mayo’s Returning Officer, Dr Ann Marie Courell, has revealed that 237 polling booths across approximately 190 polling places will be open for voters on October 24, serving an electorate of 107,414 registered presidential voters.

Only Irish citizens can vote in this election.

Unlike general elections, where both Irish and UK citizens resident in Ireland can vote, or local elections, where any legal resident over the age of 18 can vote, or European elections, where EU citizens resident in Ireland can vote. 

In what represents the most accessible election to date for wheelchair users in Mayo, the county has increased its number of purpose-built wheelchair accessible voting booths by approximately 60 per cent.

This means that around 85 per cent of polling stations will now feature custom-made wheelchair accessible booths with lower voting compartments.

“It’s something that we take very, very seriously,” the Returning Officer for Mayo, Dr Ann Marie Courell, explained. The improvements follow feedback from the Electoral Commission and input from wheelchair users.

"Even the remaining 15 per cent of stations without the new booths will have modified wooden screens placed on tables to ensure wheelchair voters can cast their ballots comfortably at a low level.”

The county hopes to have completely replaced all old wooden screens with wheelchair accessible booths by next year.

Rural challenges

THE election highlights the unique challenges of administering democracy in a rural constituency. Some polling stations are located in national schools that have been closed for years, with one station in Roosky having to be closed due to a lack of electricity supply.

In Finny, near the Mayo-Galway border, voters face potential 25-minute journeys to alternative polling stations if their local community centre weren’t used.

“Some voters said if they have to go 25 minutes down the road, they might not vote,” the Returning Officer noted, emphasising the importance of maintaining local polling stations despite infrastructure challenges.

Island voters on Inishturk, Clare Island, and Inishbiggle will experience same-day voting, but with slightly reduced hours compared to the mainland

The polling stations on Clare Island will be open between 9 am and 8 pm; on Inishturk between 9 am and 7.30 pm; and on Inishbiggle between 9.30 am and 5.30 pm.

Special voting in nursing homes has taken place, with trained presiding officers accompanied by members of An Garda Síochána visiting residents.

The Returning Officer reported a significant increase in the number of nursing homes and individuals registered for special voting.

The postal vote was dispatched on Friday, October 3, with all ballot papers to be opened and counted on the morning of October 25 at the TF Royal Theatre in Castlebar, where agents will be welcome to observe.

Voting Day essentials

Voters are reminded to bring valid photo identification (one in four voters will be randomly checked), and to bring their polling card if available, though it’s not essential.

You can also visit www.checktheregister.ie by clicking HERE to confirm their voter number and polling location.

Each polling booth is designed to serve a maximum of 700 potential electors, with a presiding officer and poll clerk stationed at every location.

Staff have received intensive training on assisting voters with disabilities, visual impairments, or literacy issues.

Approximately 90 count staff, including security personnel, will process results at the TF Royal Theatre on Saturday, October 25.

The count will open 40 boxes at a time, beginning with Ballina, followed by Castlebar, Westport, and then Claremorris.

The boxes will be opened at 9 am. Following administrative checks, all the votes are sorted by looking at who people picked as their first choice.

The President is elected by the single transferable vote (PR-STV), the same electoral system as the General, local, and European elections.

The Mayo Returning Officer will send the number of people who voted in Mayo, the number of spoilt votes, the number of valid votes, and how many first-choice votes each candidate got in Mayo to the main returning officer (called the PRO) at Dublin Castle.

When all of the constituencies have sent in their figures, the PRO will calculate the quota for election.

He also decides on the next steps regarding elimination of a candidate and distribution of transfers.

After the PRO finishes checking all the numbers, he announces the results of the first count and explains what will happen next.

He then tells the local returning officers in each area, including the Mayo Returning Officer, whether they need to eliminate a candidate or move on to the second count.

About ten minutes after the PRO shares the results and the results get posted on the presidential election website, the local returning officers announce what happened in their specific areas.

If anyone in a local area thinks there was a mistake and wants the votes recounted, the Mayo Returning Officer passes that request along to the PRO at Dublin Castle.

Despite the unusual circumstances of a candidate withdrawing from the race, three names will appear on the ballot paper, and all votes will be counted in the normal preferential manner.

Calleary on election

One voter who has made his mind up on how he will vote is Fianna Fáil Minister Dara Calleary.

Although, he told The Mayo News that he won’t be announcing who he is voting for on Friday.

After the withdrawal of the Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin from the Presidential election campaign, the Ballina-based politician said that “the last few weeks have been extremely, extremely difficult for us.

"I’m not going to get involved any more in the presidential election. We’ve a lot of work to do to rebuild confidence within our party, and that’s where my efforts are going.”

Returning officer Dr Courell is very interested in any feedback from voters and can be contacted at info@mayoreturningofficer.com.