Polling underway in referenda

More than 134,000 Meath residents are entitled to vote in today's referenda on the abolition of the Seanad and the creation of a new Court of Appeal.
Meath voters cast their votes in three different constituencies and 221 polling stations across the county in the fifth referendum day in just over two years.
The numbers eligible to vote in Meath include 64,440 in Meath East and 56,760 in Meath West, while a further 13,022 County Meath residents along the coast area will be entitled to vote in the Louth constituency.
There has been a drop in the numbers entitle to vote in the county from 141,000 last November to 134,222 in this poll, with Meath West showing the most substantial decrease from over 63,000 in 2012.
There are 221 polling stations open in Meath - 111 in Meath East and 110 in Meath West and polling hours are from 9am to 10pm. Voters may be asked for a valid form of personal identification, such as a passport or driving licence, when they go to vote. Details of where to vote are available on polling cards. When polls close at 10pm, the ballot boxes will be conveyed to the count centres.
Votes cast in Meath East will be counted at Donaghmore-Ashbourne GAA Centre while the Meath West count will take place in Trim GAA Centre.
Counting of votes will begin at 9am on Saturday morning with an expected 70 staff employed in each count centre. These will include counters, calculators, count supervisors and security staff.
The returning officer is Mairead Ahern, who is responsible for the counts in Louth, Meath East and Meath West. Trim solicitor Kevin Martin will oversee the count in Meath East, as deputy returning officer, while Meath County Council director of services, Des Foley, will be deputy returning office in Meath West.