BREAKING: Surprise count centre choice for Carlow-Kilkenny ahead of Presidential Election 2025

The count centre for Carlow-Kilkenny in the 2025 Presidential Election has been confirmed as Kilkenny College, Castlecomer Road, Seixeslough, Kilkenny, R95 CF61.

Counting of votes in all constituencies will begin at 9am on Saturday, October 25, 2025, with results from each constituency to be verified and sent to the Presidential Returning Officer, Barry Ryan.

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The overall national result will be announced from the Central Count Centre at St Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle.

Due to the recent boundary reshuffle, thousands of Kilkenny residents are eligible/expected to cast their votes in the new Tipperary North / North-West Kilkenny constituency.

The count centre for this constituency will be at the Sports Complex, Presentation Secondary School, Mitchell Street, Thurles, Tipperary.

HOW TO VOTE

The presidential election will take place on Friday, October 24.

When voting in the presidential election you will be provided with a ballot paper to fill in.

Filling your ballot paper in correctly is vital to having your vote count.

Voters must ensure that you express your preference or preferences on your ballot paper beginning with 1 and continuing 2, 3, 4, etc for as many or as few as you wish.

So start with 1 on your ballot paper or else your vote will not be counted.

When you arrive at your polling station on polling day, you will be asked to say your name and address. You may be asked for identification so have your ID ready for inspection.

If the polling staff are satisfied with your identity, and your name is on the Register of Electors, the Presiding Officer will stamp the necessary ballot paper and give them to you.

Make sure your ballot papers are stamped. If they are not stamped they will not be valid.

Take your ballot papers into the private voting compartment.

HOW TO FILL OUT A BALLOT PAPER

ABOVE: SAMPLE BALLOT PAPER

Ireland uses proportional representation (PR) for voting in elections with each voter having a single transferable vote (STV).

Proportional Representation – Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV) is used for voting in:

General elections
Local elections
European elections
Presidential elections
Mayoral elections

The only type of vote in Ireland that does not use this system is a referendum.

Using the PR-STV system means that voters can vote for as many or as few candidates in order of their preference.

Your ballot paper contains short instructions on how to vote. Read and follow the instructions on your ballot paper carefully. Pencils will be provided, but you can bring your own pen or pencil if you wish.

The ballot paper will also show a list of names, in alphabetical order, party emblems and images of each candidate. There will be a box to the right of each candidates name. You mark your preference for each candidate in the box to the right.

You mark a ‘1’ in the box beside your first choice candidate and, if you wish, a ‘2’ in the box beside your second choice candidate, a ‘3’ in the box beside your third choice candidate, and so on.

By marking a ‘1’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘I wish to vote for this candidate.’
By marking a ‘2’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘If my first choice candidate does not need my vote because they have already been elected or excluded from the count, I want my vote to go to this second candidate.’
By marking a ‘3’ beside a candidate you are saying ‘If my first and second choice candidates do not need my vote, I want my vote to go to this third candidate’.
This system of voting gives you a wide variety of choice. You can choose many different candidates and mark them in order of your preference. You can mark your preferences for as many or as few candidates as you wish. This is your decision.

For your ballot paper make sure you start with ‘1’ then ‘2’ then ‘3’ and so on.

To ensure your vote is counted make sure you mark your preferences as clearly as possible.

If you do not want to fill out a preference for all candidates on the ballot paper, the box beside those you are not voting for must be left empty.

Do not make any other mark on the ballot paper. If you do, your vote may be considered invalid/spoilt and not counted.

If you have a visual impairment, a Ballot Paper Template will be available at every polling station and you can use it to cast your vote. Find more information on our accessible voting page.

When you have voted you should fold your ballot paper, return and place it into the ballot box at the same station.

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