Northern Ireland Elections For The European Parliament

Your vote matters – What you need to know for the European Parliamentary election

Voters in Northern Ireland are being reminded to make sure they are ready to take part in the European Parliamentary election tomorrow.

The Electoral Commission is giving the following advice to voters:

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm. Any voter who arrives at the polling station before 10pm and is still waiting at 10pm will be able to vote.

Check your poll card to find the location of your polling station. Voters can only cast their vote at the polling station stated on the poll card. If you have lost your poll card you can find out where your polling station is at by visiting www.eoni.org.uk

You don’t need your poll card to vote, but it can speed up the process.

Don’t forget your photo ID – you can’t vote without it! You can still use it even if it is expired.

Rank candidates in your order of preference. Place a ‘1’ beside your first preference – a ‘2’ beside your second preference and so on.

You can vote for as few or as many candidates as you like.

You can ask staff at the polling station if you need advice on the voting process and how to mark your ballot paper.

Ann Watt, Head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland said:

“It has only been three weeks since voters in Northern Ireland were last at the polls but its important that they remember this essential information when they return to their polling station this week

In particular it’s important to remember that you should rank your candidates in order of preference by placing a ‘1’ next to your first choice candidate, a ‘2’ next to your second choice candidate and so on. You can vote for as few or as many candidates as you wish. However if you place any other mark on the ballot paper it may not be counted.”

Polling stations close at 10pm but the counting of votes will not commence until Monday 27th May, after polling has finished across Europe.

Note: In Northern Ireland voters are required to produce a specified form of photographic identification at the polling station before then can be issued with a ballot paper. These include:

A UK , Irish or EU member state passport
A UK, Irish, or EEA photographic driving license
A Translink Senior, 60+, War Disabled or Blind Person’s Smartpass
An electoral identity card