RESULTS:THE OFFICIAL figures for the result of the Lisbon Treaty referendum are expected at approximately 5.30pm this evening. However, the outcome should be clear from unofficial tallies by about noon.
Counting begins at 9am today when the local returning officer will open ballot boxes in each of the 43 constituencies.
The votes for and against the proposal are counted and the result is reported by the local returning officer to the national returning officer in Dublin Castle.
As the results come in from the constituencies they will be made available to the media and the public.
As with the last referendum, media facilities are being made available at Dublin Castle and a large international contingent will be in attendance.
Based on the local returning officers’ reports from each constituency, the referendum returning officer draws up a provisional referendum certificate stating the results of the voting and indicating whether or not the proposal has been approved.
The provisional certificate is published in Iris Oifigiúil (the Official Gazette). Within seven days after formal publication, any presidential elector may apply to the High Court for leave to present a petition questioning the provisional certificate. If no petition is presented, the certificate becomes final and, if it shows that the majority of the votes cast were in favour of the proposal, the relevant Bill is signed by the President and the Constitution is amended accordingly.
In the first referendum on Lisbon on June 12th, 2008, the treaty was rejected by 53.4 per cent to 46.6 per cent. In the previous EU referendum on October 19th, 2002, the Nice Treaty was approved by 62.89 per cent to 37.11 per cent. In an earlier referendum on June 7th, 2001, Nice was rejected by 53.87 per cent to 46.13 per cent.
On opening the ballot boxes, the local returning officer will verify the ballot paper accounts (ie compare the number of ballot papers for the poll found in each box with the relevant account for the poll furnished by the presiding officer). The local returning officers will then formally begin to count the votes for the referendum.
At the completion of the count for the constituency, each local returning officer will inform the national referendum returning officer, who will be based in St Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle, of the following details for their constituency: total poll; number of invalid ballot papers; total valid poll; and the number of votes for, and the number against, the proposal. The national referendum returning officer will aggregate the constituency results, and declare the result for the referendum. The results for each constituency will be available on the Referendum Returning Officer’s website: www.referendum.ie, which will operate for the referendum period.