Mayo votes Yes by 8,000 to repeal the eighth

Mayo like the vast majority of the country voted to repeal the eighth amendment of the constitution on Friday.

The counting of votes took place in the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar on Saturday afternoon overseen by returning officer Fintan Murphy.

Shortly after 4.30pm on Saturday, Mr Murphy announced the results of the count, which returned 32,287 yes votes and 24,287 no votes.

The was 57 per cent of the votes 56,735 of the votes cast on Friday, with just 161 invalid votes - there was a 62 per cent turnout of registered voters in the county - which was a two per cent increase in turnout on the marriage equality referendum in 2016.

Both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ side had been in the count centre since early in the morning with tally-people busy totting up the votes and from early in the morning it showed that the proposition was going to be carried.

Municipal districts all vote ‘Yes’

The tally complied by the Together For Yes Mayo group - which was just one per cent off the official outcome also broke down the outcome by municipal districts in the county.

The Castlebar district carried the proposition with 58 per cent voting in favour - going 9,447 to 6,752. The Ballina district returned a 57 per cent yes vote - going 6,951 to 5,265.

In the West Mayo district which stretches from Belmullet along the west coast through Westport and beyond it voted in favour with 58 per cent yes votes - going 8,277 to 5,993. The Claremorris district also voted yes with 55 per cent in favour - going 5,326 to 4,321

Turnaround from 1983

The result was a massive turnaround from the results in the county from the 1983 referendum that inserted the amendment will repeal.

In that referendum in 35 years ago in Mayo it passed with 82 per cent voting in favour of it in 1983 in the county. There were 34,301 valid votes across the two constituencies in Mayo at the time voting for it. The west Mayo constituency then 16,040 for and 3,705 against and east Mayo was 18,261 for and 3,534 against

 

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