DROGHEDA MOTOR WEEKEND 2018 SUPPLEMENT THIS WEEK
THE people of Drogheda sent a strong message through the ballot box last Friday, with a decisive 68.2% of voters opting to repeal the eighth amendment of the Irish Constitution.
Out of a total 19,919 valid votes, 13,568 voted yes on the ballot paper – equating to just over 68% - with just 6,351 – or 31.88% placing an x beside no.
Countywide, the Yes side secured 66.5% of the vote in Louth while the No campaign got just over a third of the votes.
The lowest turnout of 35.5% t was in a box in the Redeemer Family Resource Centre, Dundalk while the highest at 91% in was in a box in Bettystown, East Meath.
Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd has called the resolution by the Irish people to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution “a landmark decision”.
“I think we were all taken aback by the size of the yes vote. It is a very welcome result. This result was about freedom of choice and it will be remembered as a landmark decision in the history of our republic,” said Deputy O’Dowd.
“The scale of the yes vote gives us complete clarity of our path forward. The Government has been empowered to support women with crisis pregnancies here in our own country.
Deputy O’Dowd joined the chorus of other calls to implement changes sooner rather than later.
“I hope to see this legislation navigate swiftly through both Houses of the Oireachtas,”added the Fine Gael TD.
“I want to offer my sincere thanks to everyone involved in the yes campaign here, particularly those involved with Louth Together for Yes.”
Nationwide 2,159,655 people turned out to vote in Ireland’s referendum on the Eighth Amendment. That is 64.1% of the electorate.
1,429,981 people, or 66.4%, voted Yes. 733,632 people, or 33.6%, voted No.