Counting will start this morning to decide the winner of the by-election in Dublin Bay South.
Ballot boxes closed late last night in the race to replace former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
Turnout in Dublin Bay South probably going to end up a bit higher than predicted. Still v low compared to a general election but that's the way of these things.
The four by-elections in 2019 all fell between 25-35% turnout. https://t.co/pte8ix7T1v— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) July 8, 2021
Counting May Drag Into Saturday
Turnout was higher than predicted and today we'll find out who a last minute flurry of canvassing across the constituency benefited.
Most in political circles expect it to be a two horse race between Fine Gael's James Geoghegan and Labour's Ivana Bacik.
Though Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan will be hoping for a repeat of what the party pulled off in Dublin Mid West two years ago when a low turnout bucked the trend to cause an upset.
Internal party polling shows those three candidates are likely to be well ahead of the rest of the field.
While Fine Gael believe James Geoghegan will prove transfer friendly, he'll likely need a significant lead on the first count to hold off the challenge of Boylan or Ivana Bacik.
After a rough half decade for the party, Labour supporters are quietly confident of a win.
Boxes open at 9am this morning for the count in the RDS.
Counters are more spaced out than usual due to Covid, which may slow progress.
While early tallies may be rough, with a reduced number of tally-men allowed in.
Some are hopeful of a result tonight, but with 15 candidates in the field it may drag into tomorrow.
