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Sam Boal via RollingNews.ie

This has been the lowest turnout in Irish presidential election history

Just 43.87% of the electorate voted in the presidential election.

FEWER THAN A million and a half people voted in this presidential election, making it the lowest turnout in the history of the State.

The turnout for the presidential election was 43.87%, with 1,492,338 casting a vote, resulting in 1,473,900 valid votes. The Irish electorate comprises of 3,229,672 people.

The lowest turnout had been in 1997, when 47.6% of the electorate or around 1.26 million people voted, and Mary McAleese won. The highest turnout for any presidential election was for the first one in 1945, which was won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Seán T O’Kelly. Around 1 million out of a 1.8 million electorate voted: a turnout of 63%.

  • 1945: 63% (~1m voted / ~1.8m electorate)
  • 1959: 58.3% (~955k voted / 1.67m electorate)
  • 1973: 62% (~1.2m voted / ~1.9m electorate)
  • 1990: 64% (~1.5m voted / ~2.4m electorate)
  • 1997: 47.6% (~1.26m voted / ~2.68m electorate)
  • 2011: 56.1% (1.7m voted / ~3.1m electorate)

Today there were reports from Jobstown, the area where water protesters clashed with Labour leader Joan Burton, that just 9% had turned up to vote.

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In the last presidential election in 2011, 1.7 million people voted out of an electorate of 3.1 million, representing a turnout of 56.1%.

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. 

Although not directly comparable, it’s interesting to note the turnout in the last few referendums since it includes a similar electorate figure.

The Eighth Amendment referendum saw 2,159,655 people vote, which is a voter turnout of 64.13%. This was higher than the same-sex marriage referendum in 2015, which had a turnout of 61%.

The children’s rights referendum in 2012 had a turnout of 34%.

The highest turnout in any referendum was for the 1972 question on joining the European Economic Community when 70.1% turned up to vote.

- with reporting from Stephen McDermott

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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:33 AM

    Let us hope the families finally get justice for what happened that terrible bloody Sunday.

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    Mute pat murphy
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:47 AM

    Murdered by a foreign army on Irish soil…

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    Mute SFNutters
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    Mar 14th 2019, 8:50 AM

    @pat murphy: horse guards

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    Mute Brian Jones
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:41 AM

    If it was the case that the soldiers were given advance orders to shoot should they feel it was warranted then that order should be traced up the chain of command. I don’t believe it was a spur of the moment decision

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    Mute Jane
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    Mar 14th 2019, 7:24 AM

    @Brian Jones: I don’t think they needed to feel it was warranted. I was listening to an interview by one of the relatives the other day and he said that one of the soldiers that gave evidence to Saville said that he looked down the barrel of his gun but could see no justification for shooting so he didn’t pull the trigger. Others didn’t seem to care whether it was justified or not.

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Mar 14th 2019, 5:38 AM

    Will be amazed if these people receive justice, UK 2ont like to admit that it’s own army murdered people

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Mar 14th 2019, 7:22 AM

    @Barry Somers: agree , but every army murders people!

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 14th 2019, 8:20 AM

    @Barry Somers: unlikely they will see justice, British soldiers, British courts, British jury…..

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    Mute Maurice Frazer
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    Mar 14th 2019, 9:06 AM

    Had the pleasure of meeting with these wonderful people from Derry recently when they came to Dublin to support our fight for Justice for the Stardust 48.
    We wish them all the best in their quest for Justice. As I have said before…. TRUTH+JUSTICE=PEACE

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    Mute Donal Carey
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    Mar 14th 2019, 9:22 AM

    Give these families justice and peace enough is enough

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Mar 14th 2019, 10:15 AM

    Like all historic trouble related murders in N.Ireland, it’s time to let go of the past and move on to the future. All trouble related crimes on all sides committed before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement should be subject to a general amnesty. Nobody murdered on any side of the troubles is coming back. Death is a one way street, a shared future is a two way street. Let go of the past and move on to a better, brighter shared future.

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    Mute Sean O'Rourke
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    Mar 14th 2019, 11:06 AM

    @Charles Williams: Easier said than done Charles.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Mar 14th 2019, 12:31 PM

    @Charles Williams What you say would make perfect sense but some scars will only begin to heal when everyone associated with them is dead and even then …

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    Mute T Beckett is back
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    Mar 14th 2019, 3:16 PM

    @Charles Williams:

    The British army were never charged, imprisoned, admitted or apologised for their murders, so they’re not covered by the GFA – which also they were against.

    And yet there are still people who were British blood stained poppies.

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