Voters head to the polls across NI
A total of 819 candidates standing in 11 council areas
Last updated 2nd May 2019
Voters in Northern Ireland go to the polls on Thursday amid political impasse over Brexit and efforts to defrost the institutions at Stormont.
A total of 819 local government election candidates are standing across 11 council areas.
There are nearly 1,500 polling stations, opening at 7am and closing at 10pm.
What ID do you need to bring to vote -
- A UK, Irish or EEA driving licence (photographic part) (provisional accepted)
- 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 do you mark my ballot paper at this election?
On the ballot paper, mark a ‘1’ against your first preferred candidate, a ‘2’ against your second preferred candidate and so on, for as many candidates as you wish. Do not write anything else on the paper or your vote may not be counted.
Can you take photos inside the polling station?
You can take pictures outside the polling station but you must not take pictures inside the polling station - if you inadvertently disclose how someone has voted you would be breaking the law.
When will the count be held and the result published?
The count of ballot papers for the local council elections will begin after the verification has been completed tomorrow (Friday) on May 3. The results will be published on the Council websites as soon as possible after the results have been declared.
The count of ballot papers for the European election will begin at 8am on Monday 27 May. The result will be published on the Electoral Office website as soon as possible after the result has been declared.
Local government powers chiefly concern services like bin collections and the setting of household tax rates.
Ballot boxes have been delivered to Northern Ireland's most remote polling station.
They were taken by ferry to Rathlin Island off Co Antrim on Wednesday morning, escorted by an Electoral Office official.
There are 1,463 polling stations across Northern Ireland and they will open at 7am on Thursday and close at 10pm.
There will be overnight verification of unused ballot papers returned from the polling stations, with councils ready to begin counting on Friday morning at 8am.
The election is being conducted by Single Transferable Vote, a proportional representation system.
Votes are totalled and a quota (the number of votes required to win a seat) derived.
If a candidate achieves quota, he/she is elected and surplus votes transferred to other candidates.