NI Election 2022: Who's on your ballot paper?
An essential guide for this week's NI election ✅
Last updated 5th May 2022
239 candidates are contesting for 90 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly Election 2022 today, Thursday May 5.
Northern Ireland is divided into 18 constituencies, each of which gets five seats at Stormont.
The largest party after the election nominates a First Minister, while the second biggest party puts forward a Deputy First Minister – one must designate as nationalist and one must designate as unionist.
Who can vote in the NI Election?
1,373,731 people aged 17 and over have successfully registered to vote here.
Of those, the Electoral Office says that 14,631 have been granted a postal vote, and 6,468 people are allowed to vote via a proxy, which means another person has been cleared to do it instead.
Where do I vote?
Where to cast your ballot will be identified on the polling card, which will have arrived in the post.
What should I bring with me to vote?
You do not need to bring the voting card with you to vote – it is only for information purposes.
Photographic ID is essential though – this can be:
- A UK, Irish or EEA driving licence (the card, not the paper counterpart)
- A UK, Irish or EU passport
- An Electoral Identity Card
- A Translink Senior SmartPass
- A Translink 60+ SmartPass
- A Translink War Disabled SmartPass
- A Translink Blind Person’s SmartPass
How does voting work in Northern Ireland?
The Single Transferable Vote system is used for the Assembly elections. It means voters can rank candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3 and so on).
You can number as many or as few candidates as you choose.
After the votes are cast, a ‘quota’ is calculated.
This is the number of first preference votes a candidate needs to automatically get a seat.
If a candidate gets enough first choice votes, the candidate’s surplus votes are transferred to the next candidates in line on their ballot papers.
If candidates do not meet the quota, the candidate with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated, and the second preference votes are transferred to other candidates.
This process continues until all five votes are filled.
Who can I vote for in the NI Election?
Here is the full list of candidates for each constituency, in the order you will see them on the ballot paper.
Andy Allen – Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Karl Bennett - Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
David Brooks - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Joanne Bunting - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Charlotte Carson - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Hannah Kenny - People Before Profit
Lauren Kerr - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Naomi Long - Alliance Party
Eoin Macneill - The Workers Party
Peter McReynolds - Alliance Party
Mairead O'Donnell - Sinn Féin
John Ross - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Brian Smyth - Green Party
Phillip Brett - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Fiona Ferguson - People Before Profit
Billy Hutchinson - Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
Gerry Kelly - Sinn Féin
Lily Kerr - The Workers Party
Brian Kingston - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Seán Mac Niocaill - Aontú
Nichola Mallon - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Nuala McAllister - Alliance Party
Ron McDowell - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Carál Ní Chuilín - Sinn Féin
Mal O'Hara - Green Party
Stafford Ward - Independent
Clare Bailey - Green Party
Paula Bradshaw - Alliance Party
Andrew Girvin - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Deirdre Hargey - Sinn Féin
Paddy Lynn - The Workers Party
Luke McCann - Aontú
Stephen McCarthy - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Neil Moore - Socialist Party
Elly Odhiambo - Independent
Kate Nicholl - Alliance Party
Matthew O'Toole - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Edwin Poots - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Sipho Sibanda - People Before Profit
Elsie Trainor - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Danny Baker - Sinn Féin
Gerard Burns - Independent
Gerry Carroll - People Before Profit
Patrick Crossan - The Workers Party
Paul Doherty - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Jordan Doran - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Órlaithí Flynn - Sinn Féin
Linsey Gibson - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Gerard Herdman - Aontú
Donnamarie Higgins - Alliance Party
Declan Hill - Independent
Stevie Maginn - Green Party
Tony Mallon - Independent
Frank McCoubrey - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Dan Murphy - Irish Republican Socialist Party
Aisling Reilly - Sinn Féin
Pat Sheehan - Sinn Féin
Mark Bailey - Green Party
Roy Beggs - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Norman Boyd - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Stewart Dickson - Alliance Party
Danny Donnelly - Alliance Party
David Hilditch - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Gordon Lyons - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Siobhán McAlister - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Oliver McMullan - Sinn Féin
John Stewart - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Caoimhe Archibald - Sinn Féin
Jordan Armstrong - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Maurice Bradley - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Gemma Brolly - Aontú
Mark Coulson - Green Party
Cara Hunter - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Chris McCaw - Alliance Party
Kathleen McGurk - Sinn Féin
Amy Merron - People Before Profit
Niall Murphy - Independent
Stephanie Quigley - Independent
Alan Robinson - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Billy Stewart - Independent
Claire Sugden - Independent
Russell Watton - Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
Darryl Wilson - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Derek Backhouse - Independent
Rosemary Barton - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Matthew Beaumont - Alliance Party
Paul Bell - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Emma DeSouza - Independent
Jemma Dolan - Sinn Féin
Alex Elliott - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Tom Elliott - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Deborah Erskine - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Adam Gannon - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Colm Gildernew - Sinn Féin
Emmett Kilpatrick - People Before Profit
Denise Mullen - Aontú
Áine Murphy - Sinn Féin
Kellie Turtle - Green Party
Dónal Ó Cofaigh - Cross Community Labour Alternative
Pádraig Delargy - Sinn Féin
Emmet Doyle - Aontú
Mark H Durkan - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Ciara Ferguson - Sinn Féin
Rachael Ferguson - Alliance Party
Gillian Hamilton - Green Party
Shaun Harkin - People Before Profit
Anne McCloskey - Independent
Ryan McCready - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Colly McLaughlin - Irish Republican Socialist Party
Sinéad McLaughlin - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Gary Middleton - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Elizabeth Neely - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Brian Tierney - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Robbie Butler - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Pat Catney - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Amanda Doherty - People Before Profit
Jeffrey Donaldson - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Sorcha Eastwood - Alliance Party
Paul Givan - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
David Honeyford - Alliance Party
Gary Hynds - Independent
Simon Lee - Green Party
Gary McCleave - Sinn Féin
Lorna Smyth - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Laura Turner - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Keith Buchanan - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Linda Dillon - Sinn Féin
Meta Graham - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Claire Hackett - Alliance Party
Alixandra Halliday - Aontú
Patrick Haughey - Independent
Sophia McFeely - People Before Profit
Patsy McGlone - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Glenn Moore - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Michelle O'Neill - Sinn Féin
Conor Rafferty - Resume NI
Hugh Scullion - The Workers Party
Emma Sheerin - Sinn Féin
Stefan Taylor - Green Party
Cathal Boylan - Sinn Féin
Jackie Coade - Alliance Party
Daniel Connolly - Aontú
Nicola Grant - The Workers Party
Ciara Henry - Green Party
William Irwin - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Liz Kimmins - Sinn Féin
Gavin Malone - Independent
Justin McNulty - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Conor Murphy - Sinn Féin
Keith Ratcliffe - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
David Taylor - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Jim Allister - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Matthew Armstrong - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Bethany Ferris - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Paul Frew - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Philip McGuigan - Sinn Féin
Patricia O'Lynn - Alliance Party
Eugene Reid - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Laird Shingleton - Independent
Mervyn Storey - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Robin Swann - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Paul Veronica - Green Party
Steve Aiken - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Róisín Bennett - Aontú
John Blair - Alliance Party
Pam Cameron - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Trevor Clarke - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Declan Kearney - Sinn Féin
Mel Lucas - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Roisin Lynch - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Jerry Maguire - People Before Profit
Paul Michael - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Andrew Moran - Independent
Lesley Veronica - Green Party
Chris Carter - Independent
Alan Chambers - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Stephen Dunne - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Alex Easton - Independent
Connie Egan - Alliance Party
Jennifer Gilmour - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
John Gordon - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Naomi McBurney - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Therese McCartney - Sinn Féin
Ray McKimm - Independent
Andrew Muir - Alliance Party
Matthew Robinson - Conservative and Unionist Party
Déirdre Vaughan - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Rachel Woods - Green Party
Patrick Brown - Alliance Party
Patrick Clarke - Independent
Sinéad Ennis - Sinn Féin
Diane Forsythe - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Noleen Lynch - Green Party
Jill Macauley - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Cathy Mason - Sinn Féin
Paul McCrory - People Before Profit
Rosemary McGlone - Aontú
Colin McGrath - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Harold McKee - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Karen McKevitt - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Kellie Armstrong - Alliance Party
Stephen Cooper - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Harry Harvey - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Conor Houston - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Ben King - Independent
Róise McGivern - Sinn Féin
Nick Mathison - Alliance Party
Maurice McCartney - Green Party
Michelle McIlveen - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Mike Nesbitt - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Philip Smith - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Peter Weir - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Glenn Barr - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Doug Beattie - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Glenn Beattie - Heritage Party
Jonathan Buckley - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Diane Dodds - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Darrin Foster - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Aidan Gribbin - Aontú
Dolores Kelly - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Lauren Kendall - Green Party
Liam Mackle - Sinn Féin
John O'Dowd - Sinn Féin
Eóin Tennyson - Alliance Party
Nicola Brogan - Sinn Féin
Barry Brown - Independent
Thomas Buchanan - Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Trevor Clarke - Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Stephen Donnelly - Alliance Party
Amy Ferguson - Socialist Party
Carol Gallagher - People Before Profit
Paul Gallagher - Independent
Susan Glass - Green Party
James Hope - Aontú
Ian Marshall - Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Declan McAleer - Sinn Féin
Daniel McCrossan - Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Maolíosa McHugh- Sinn Féin
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