Extra 10,000 register to vote in General Election 2011

Longford-Westmeath to get its say before Paddy’s Day

At lunchtime yesterday (Thursday ) Brian Cowen settled bets the length and breadth of Ireland when he named Friday March 11 as the date the 31st Dáil would be decided upon.

Longford-Westmeath will go to the polls on the day with an electorate almost 10,000 greater than it was on May 24, 2007 - up from 83,980 to 93,570 - an increase of just over 11 per cent.

In 2007 there was a quota of 10,984 on a turnout of 65.39 per cent, and it wasn’t until the fifth count that the first name made it across the line. This would suggest a quota for March 11 of around 12,240 on the 2007 turnout, with this rising to 13,100 on a predicted 70 per cent turnout.

As of today (Friday ) there are nine candidates declared already - three Fianna Fáil (Deputy Mary O’Rourke, Deputy Peter Kelly, Cllr Robert Troy ), three Fine Gael (Deputy James Bannon, Senator Nicky McFadden, Cllr Peter Burke ), two Labour (Deputy Willie Penrose, Mae Sexton ), and one independent (Cllr Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran ).

A tenth name is expected to be added to the ballot paper tomorrow (Saturday ) when Sinn Féin’s Ard Comhairle rubberstamps the candidacy of Cllr Paul Hogan.

A decision has yet to be made on the location of the count, this decision will be made by the returning officer for the constituency, Ms Imelda Brannigan - the county registrar for Co Longford.

The count in 2007 was held in the community centre in Keenagh, Co Longford, because of its equidistance between the three main towns of the constituency. It was a popular choice between candidates, journalists, party faithful, and political junkies of all creeds, and remains unofficial favourite at the moment.

Other venues to have hosted general election counts at recent elections include the county hall in Longford, and the CBS gym in Mullingar, but both are compromised by parking issues.

The geographical divide mirrors town size with four candidates from Athlone (O’Rourke, McFadden, Moran, and Hogan ), three from Longford (Kelly, Bannon, and Sexton ), and three from Mullingar (Penrose, Troy, and Burke ).

However, where this may be technically accurate from an electoral area point of view, the people of Ballinacarrigy would not thank the Advertiser if we didn’t point out this small village on the border between the two counties can properly claim two and a half of these, as Penrose, Troy, and James Bannon’s mother all hail from the town of the rocks.

 

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