Election Day: Rural Laois voter turnout is zooming past town voters

Cllr Barry Walsh casting his vote at Ballyroan Community Hall this morning with his wife Gemma and young family Cillian, Ellie and Oisin.

placeholder image — Cllr Barry Walsh casting his vote at Ballyroan Community Hall this morning with his wife Gemma and young family Cillian, Ellie and Oisin.

Latest stats on Laois voting for the Local and European Elections

It is past midday in the 2024 Local and European Elections and in Laois the turnout is stronger in rural polling stations, our sample vote counts show.

Across both urban and rural booths, some people are choosing only to vote in the local elections, declining to take a European election paper.

In Portlaoise, two sample ballot boxes, at the Holy Family Senior School polling station, show that so far 6% of the electorate registered to vote in those booths had cast their votes by midday.

5% of those had come out to vote between 9am and noon.

The entrance to a polling station at the Holy Family Junior School, Portlaoise. Photo: Leinster Express

It is slightly higher over in Mountmellick at the Scoil Phadraig Naofa BNS polling station, where by 12 noon almost 7.4% had come out to cast their votes.

That compares to almost 13% of a turnout in a rural booth in Rosenallis, a sample of the rural Laois vote, also by 12 noon. While in Rathdowney, voter turnout is even higher, at over 15% by 12 noon.

Across all four sample polling stations, interest is higher for electing local county councillors, with some apathy for the MEP elections, with no candidates there from Laois perhaps a factor. Of the 550 people coming to vote this morning at the sample stations, 42 didn't bother voting at all in the European election, almost 8% of the voters.

Lunchtime will see an increase in voters but it is after work the evening that will bring out the vast majority to have their democratic say.

A record number of candidates are vying for Laois votes in the European elections this year.

There are 68,472 people registered to vote in the council election in Laois. That's a rise of nearly 9% on the 2019 local poll when the total electorate was 62,965.

Voters will have their say on which of the 47 local election candidates and 27 European hopefuls will represent them in County Hall Portlaoise and the parliament in Brussels.

Figures are courtesy of the office of the Laois Offaly Returning Officer. More updates to follow throughout the day.