WITH almost all of Northern Ireland's paramilitary groupings represented by their political wings in the elections, the security operation surrounding today's poll will be unusually low key.
The nearest thing to a threat to the elections is a minor graffiti campaign urging people not to vote and thought to have been organised by supporters of the INLA. The INLA's political wing, the IRSP, is not participating in the poll. Republican Sinn Fein and a group called Exiled Children in America have also urged a boycott.
But none of these groups is expected to disrupt the elections, and the RUC, while refusing to discuss security arrangements, anticipates its main role will be in ensuring the security of the ballot boxes.
The British army traditionally stays well away from polling stations on election day and keeps a low profile generally. After a return to the streets in the immediate wake of the Canary Wharf bombing, recent activity had been confined to "defensive patrolling" the request of the RUC. An RUC spokesman did not expect the army to be on the streets anywhere today.
A potential flashpoint could in west Belfast, where residents in part of the Lower Shankill Road are angry at being asked to vote in a Catholic primary school on the neighbouring Falls Road. The Shankill voters are threatening to carry Union Jacks with them in protest.
One of the many peculiarities of this election is that, in theory at least, polling booths could have more than 20 unofficial anti personation observers watching at each table.
Personation is a traditional feature of elections in the North and each party is entitled to appoint an observer to complement the work of the official electoral officers. But the main parties have left the arrangement to their local constituency organisations and do not expect overcrowding.
Among those who will not be voting today are up to 40 RUC offices based in South Armagh. Officers airlifted into Border stations like Crossmaglen for three day tours of duty are entitled to a postal vote, but the forms entitling them to do so haven not arrived in time for the elections.
An RUC spokesman said the problem was being investigated internally. A similar but separate mix up, which would have deprived about 20 Royal Irish Regiment soldiers in Portadown of a vote, was resolved by the rearrangement of the duty roster after complaints from the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley.
The elections have attracted worldwide media interest, with journalists from the US, France, Spain, Germany, Japan and Australia converging on Belfast.
The Europa Hotel said that 140 of its 184 residents this week were journalists, the German contingent boosted by last night's soccer friendly between Northern Ireland band Germany.
Public apathy may be the problem for the parties, however. A last day Sinn Fein canvass involving the party president, Mr Gerry Adams, and Mr Gerry Kelly yesterday attracted no fewer than seven TV camera crews as well as a large contingent from the print media.
But even in the Sinn Fein heartland of New Lodge, the potential voters who emerged to have their hands shaken during the half hour canvass were probably outnumbered by the media entourage.
