Laois election count underway as tally swings into action
Counting and tallying begins in Portlaoise
Thousands of Laois votes are tumbling out of ballot boxes in Portlaoise where counting is underway in the local and European elections.
European and Local Elections Returning officer Rory Hanniffy welcomed candidates and their supporters to the county Centre at the Nano Nagle hall at the CBS / Chríost Rí school complex in Portlaoise.
The opening of the ballot boxes from more than 100 polling stations was also the signal for tally people from around the county to begin the unofficial counting of votes.
Laois votes will be separated and verified in the Nano Nagle Hall. The European ballots will then be transferred to Westport for counting on Sunday. The counting of the Laois County Council local election votes gets underway on Saturday at the Kea Lew Business Park in Portlaoise.
A total of 19 seats are up for grabs on Laois County Council with 47 candidates in the field across three municipal districts.
There are 27 candidates vying for five seats in the European constituency of Midlands northwest.