Polling stations have opened across Dublin Central this morning as voters head to the polls in the constituency’s Dáil by-election.
Voting began at 7am and stations will remain open until 10pm tonight.
By-elections are held when Dáil seats become vacant between general elections, allowing voters to elect a new TD. In Dublin Central, the vacancy arose after former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe resigned his seat in November to take up a new role with the World Bank in Washington.
A total of 57,619 people are registered to vote in Dublin Central — a drop of almost 6,000 voters since the 2024 general election following a recent review of the electoral register by An Coimisiún Toghcháin.
The electoral commission said duplicate entries, as well as people who had emigrated or died, were removed from the register during the update process.
People can vote in the by-election if they are registered to vote, are either an Irish or British citizen, are aged over 18 and ordinarily resident in the constituency.
Voters are advised to check their polling card before travelling to confirm the location of their polling station. While polling cards are useful, they are not essential to vote.
People may also be asked to provide identification before receiving their ballot paper. Accepted forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, Public Services Card, student card with a photograph or an employee identity card.
There are 14 candidates on the ballot paper in Dublin Central:
Ireland uses the proportional representation single transferable vote system, commonly known as PR-STV. Voters rank candidates in order of preference by placing “1” beside their first choice, “2” beside their second choice and so on.
If no candidate reaches the quota during the first count, the lowest-performing candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed according to voters’ next preferences. The process continues until one candidate is elected.
Ballot boxes from 21 polling stations across Dublin Central will be brought to the RDS on Dublin’s southside for counting.
The count is expected to begin at around 9am on Saturday, with early tallies likely later that morning. Because this is a single-seat by-election, a result could emerge by Saturday afternoon, although multiple rounds of transfers may be needed before a candidate reaches the quota.
Turnout in Dublin Central at the last general election stood at 52.3%, though by-election turnout is traditionally lower.
An Coimisiún Toghcháin is also trialling a new initiative during today’s vote, with “I’m a Voter” and “Is Votálaí mé” stickers available at eight polling stations across the constituency for people casting their ballots.
