LATEST TURNOUT: Voters in towns across Laois are having their say in the Presidential Election

A slow but steady stream of voters are turning out across Laois to have their say in the Presidential Election.

Samples from Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick and Graiguecullen show a low but steady voter turnout at 11.45am. 

At Knockmay National School in Portlaoise a booth with 536 registered voters which had  eight votes at 8.45am had 48 by 11.45am. A second booth for 747 voters which had 18 votes earlier now had 48 and a third booth at Knockmay NS which had 12  out of the 641 at 8.45am now had 36 votes. 

A similar picture emerged in Scoil Phadraig Naofa BNS in Mountmellick where three booths reflected a similar pattern. Of the 713 registered voters in the first booth, 65 had voted by 11.45am. In the second booth with 685 voters, 65 votes had been cast while in the third it had 38 of 621 possible votes.  

In Portarlington Presentation School three booths were sampled at 8.45am these showed a total of 27 votes. A booth with 554 voters had 10, another booth with 522 had five and the third booth of 469 had 12 votes. By 11.45am the votes were up to 38 in the first, 33 in the second and 35 in the last. 

In Graiguecullen the picture was the same. Three booths at St Fiac’s Hall had a total 28 votes at 8.45 am.  By 11.45am, the first booth which was open to 803 registered voters had 38 votes while the second which was open to 703 voters had 58 votes and the third with 625 eligible voters had 31 votes. 

Turnout is expected to be poor in the election which has been dogged by criticism of the nomination process which resulted in just three official candidates on the ballot paper in the race to the Aras.  

Voting will continue throughout the day to determine who will be the next President of Ireland. There are three candidates on the ballot paper Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin, who unusually dropped out of the race but remains on the ballot paper. 

The voting will continue across the county until 10pm tonight. Voters do not need to have a polling card to vote and can use a valid identification card.