Making her first vote count

Enda Kenny gives his daughter Aoibhinn her polling card in Castlebar as she voted for the first time in a General Election. Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Turnout expected to be high in Mayo


The turnout around Mayo is expected to be over 75 per cent with polling stations reporting a steady flow of voters casting their vote since early morning.
By 5pm, some booths in the Castlebar area were reporting 50 per cent turnouts while in rural areas the turnout was slightly lower. The good weather has been an encouragement to people to go out and vote and it is predicted if the pace of voting continues in the same pattern the turnout in Mayo will be over 75 per cent. In 2007, the turnout was 73 per cent.
In Westport the turnout is said to be about 40 per cent while the village of Bekan near Claremorris is recording a turnout of 42 per cent. The majority of stations across the county are experiencing between 40 and 45 per cent.
The rate of voting in Mayo is expected to increase between 6pm and 10pm when the expected turnout should become clearer.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny cast his vote at St Patrick’s Boys National School in Castlebar shortly after 10am, in the company of his wife Fionnuala and his daughter Aoibhinn, who was voting for the first time in a General Election.
The polls will close around the county at 10pm and the count to elect the five DΡil representatives for Mayo is expected to begin in the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar shortly after 9am.
The Mayo News will be present at the count from early morning and regular updates of the early tallies when the boxes open will be on our website as well as on our Facebook and Twitter pages.