Galway heads to the polls for elections and referendum

0
804
Galway Daily news EU elections hustings

Polls are open across Galway today for the Local and European elections and the divorce referendum.

The two elections will see Galway’s voters choosing their city and county councils, MEPs, and whether to make changes to the constitution’s provisions on divorce.

In the city 47 candidates are standing for 18 council seats across the East, Central, and West Wards.

There are 78 candidates standing for 39 seats on Galway county council across the municipal districts of Athenry-Oranmore, Ballinasloe, Connemara North, Gort-Kinvara, and Tuam.

In the European Parliament Galway is part of Ireland’s Midlands-North-West district where 17 candidates are contesting four seats.

The divorce referendum is asking voters whether to approve two measures, one to recognise foreign divorces and another to remove a requirement that couples must be separated for four years before a divorce can be granted.

Voting began yesterday in the islands where there are just over 1,200 registered voters across the Aran Islands and Inishbofin.

This will be the last time that the islands vote ahead of the mainland with a law for same day voting set to come into effect after these elections.

Results from these elections will not begin to come in until tomorrow, with ballot boxes opening at 10am to begin the count.