Online map to aid mixed up voters

GIVEN the dramatic changes to the electoral areas in Kerry ahead of the upcoming local elections, Kerry County Council has launched a new interactive service to explain the new boundaries to voters.

On Friday, May 24, voters will still elect 33 members to Kerry County Council, but there has been a shake up in how many seats will be up for grabs in various areas.

The boundaries for the local elections in County Kerry have been changed by ministerial order following a report from the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee last year

Three new electoral areas have been created as a result of the changes. The old nine-seat South and West Kerry municipal district has been split in two to create the six-seat Kenmare Electoral Area and the three-seat An Daingean Electoral Area. Seats have also been taken from the Tralee, Killarney and Listowel districts to create the entirely new fourseat Castleisland Electoral Area.

In order to create the Castleisland Electoral Area, the Tralee district drops from nine seats to seven; Killarney goes from eight seats to seven and the Listowel district drops from seven seats to six.

Due to the changes many voters in smaller Electoral Divisions (local polling booth districts), particularly those in or around the new boundaries, will find themselves voting in new areas.

Kerry County Council has now launched a new interactive map on its website to help inform voters about the new local electoral boundaries and Local Electoral Areas, and it will help voters find out precisely what area they will be voting in.

Details of the interactive map service were launched by Mayor of Kerry Norma Foley at Monday’s monthly meeting of Kerry County Council.

“It is important that we inform members of the public of the new boundaries, and this is a very user-friendly map which will give voters the information they need. It will also be very useful for candidates and canvassers over the coming weeks where confusion might arise about the new boundaries,” she said.