Latest: Voter turnout picking up in Cork's five constituencies

Cork city and county’s returning officers has shared updated voter turnout figures as of 8pm, with turnout getting closer to 2020’s figures ahead of the polls closing at 10pm.

Cork North West has the highest turnout, with 57.4% of the population there having voted, while the figure is 55.4% in South West and just 50.3% in Cork East.

In Cork City South Central, the turnout is around 54%, varied between polling stations – as low as 43% in some and as high as 65% in others.

In North Central, the turnout is at around 50%, and similarly wide-ranging with stations having seen between 40% and 60% of the electorate vote by 8pm.

5pm

Less than half of the country had cast their votes in the general election as of 5pm, with polling stations expected to get a lot busier as people finish work.

The area with the highest voter turnout so far is Cork South West, where 38% of people have cast their votes, followed closely by 37.9% in Cork North West, while 32.9% have voted in Cork East.

In the city, turnout as of 5pm is between 33% to 48% across the Cork South Central polling stations, and between 34% to 39% in North Central.

3pm

Polls opened this morning for voters to decide who will form Ireland’s next government, with 20 seats across five Cork constituencies being contested.

Turnout in Cork North and South Central was reportedly running at around 12% as of 12 noon.

In the county at the same time, Cork North West had the highest voter turnout, with 15.5% of the electorate having cast their votes, followed by 13.1% in Cork South West and 12.4% in Cork East.

Polls opened at 7am, but there was a slow start to voting, possibly down to the bad weather, with turnout below 3% in all three constituencies as of 8.30am.

Another turnout update is expected at 5pm, with voting numbers set to increase significantly as people across the county finish work.

In the 2020 general election, there was a 62.6% turnout across Cork – Cork North West had the highest turnout at 65.4%, followed by South West at 64.6%, South Central at 63.2%, East at 61.1% and North Central at 59.7%.

Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould told The Echo: “the weather could have a big part to play on voter turnout.

“We know from the past that low turnouts suits the government parties, but we got a really positive response on the doors, so hopefully those people will all get out and vote.” 

Micheál Martin urged people to brave the wet and windy weather and to use their vote.

“I encourage people to vote – it’s a key part of our democracy. The weather notwithstanding, we encourage people to come out to vote but yes, it is a pity that it’s such a wet morning,” he told reporters in Cork City.

The Tánaiste attended his polling station at St Anthony’s Boys National School in Ballinlough, with his wife Mary, his daughter Aoibhe, and his sons Micheal Aodh and Cillian.

The vote will close at 10pm with counting expected to start on Saturday morning.