To rally Irish voters here and ask is anyone voting No tomorrow?

[LayMeDown]

I know there's lots of Irish on MN. I don't know anyone in RL voting No. But polls indicates it's tightening a lot. I'm getting scared it won't pass and my lovely brother and his partner will be left out in the cold again. What are you all hearing in your circles?

FYI for any non Irish there is a referendum tomorrow on introducing same sex marriage in Ireland.

Have they done anything like exit polls? Is there any indication of the way the vote is going?

Re the question on Ireland having a second house which you can only vote for if you are a graduate, apparently it's certain universities.

I hope this law goes through today, but as other posters have said, I think there are more pressing issues facing Ireland. A discriminatory voting system based on qualifications, a country where a woman's dead body can be left decomposing on a life support machine for weeks because there is a fetus which stands no chance of survival inside her her probably has more pressing issues than deciding if a partnerships with identical legal status should be referred to as a 'partnership' or a 'marriage'.

I really hope the YES vote gets it. Just spoke to a cousin in Dublin he's voted YES his wife voted NO.
I have a horrible feeling the 'shy' No vote will take it.

Way to piss on a cheerful thread eh? Upsurge of hope and enthusiasm, can't be having that. Lots of support for gay rights you say? BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN??!! It's like the No campaign all over again.

I didn't mean you, TheRollingCrone, that was a x-post.

What are you on about Annie?

I'm on about you, Chaletdays.

In what way Annie?

A part of voting is that sense of community and that you are making a difference. Every time I vote whether in local, general or European elections or referendums I always feel a sense of pride in myself. I love voting. It feels special to me. This is probably from my dad. Your first vote was a massive deal in our house. If the Yes campaign has tapped into or even created that feeling in the generation who have come home then that is to their credit. They have given those people a great gift that I hope they continue to exercise. Because voting is one of the most powerful things you can do.

I saw Colm O'Gorman, the head of Amnesty Ireland, speak at a small gathering last week. He and the other speakers were absolutely focused on the rights of children. Most of the new law regarding families is in the new families act ratified in April, but the implication that enthusiasm for a yes vote here involves sidelining concerns for children doesn't reflect the yes campaign as I've experienced it.

Notplayers wrote

Your version of reality you mean. Did you conduct a study of all the youth vote to ask for their opinion? Apparently there is also a tradition of people coming home to vote, so it is not just for this referendum. I don't know whether or not there was an increase in travelling home for this one by comparison to other votes. Just because we are hearing about it more doesn't mean that there was an increase, even if I suspect there was - but this impression is really based on me being on social media now where I wasn't before. This one was more visual as well in some ways with badges, flags, banners etc. and use of social media.

Partime may have been referring to this comment below (I find it hard to see how anyone can read this as other than taking a dim view of the youth vote).

Notplayers had previously written:

It wasn't obvious to me what the vote would be here (and it is still not 100% sure, though the youth vote seems to be more towards the yes so that might clinch it).

Personally I thought the children's referendum would be a shoe in. The vote was closer than I thought on that one. The children's referendum also came across as an aspirational, slightly waffley thing (which the government could ignore for the most part, lets face it their policy on housing is a disgrace, and it is not long ago that a minister was threatening to reduce people's water flow to a trickle, with all that would entail for children) rather than being a straight forward vote like the current one where a specific right will be given to people that the government cannot take away on a whim.

For myself, if I go on (say) an anti-war demo, I don't criticise the person standing beside me for not being at the previous one. I welcome them and hope to see them on the next similar demo.

completely agree with op s last post re importance of voting. Don't get the dismissive view on young people coming home to vote , think it's great to see engagement with political process.

Looking fwd to results starting to come in. hope its a yes to both rwferendums

They are calling a landslide in Dublin. one of the first boxes had 120 Yes 20 No!
If Dublin vote yes by this much it'll pass no matter what happens elsewhere. Early Days but it's looking good!

Looking good so far :)

An outsider's view on the Presidential age question is that there's no reason not to open up the field even if you personally can't imagine there would ever be a 21-year-old you wanted to elect. There may, for example, be a totally brilliant politician aged 34.5 who is debarred from standing against a horrible old fogey. It may never happen, but why not extend your options?

Rte are calling 70/30 in Dublin. In tears here. Can't believe it will be a yes.
I voted yes for the presidential one,I realised I was being ageist. I was also terrified I would get the ballots mixed up!

Btw to explain my not very clear comment last night - though I think Gareth mostly nailed it very clearly and excellently - my angle was that here was a thread where a number of posters were excited and moved at the enthusiasm that saw Irish voters coming home in swathes to vote, then a trio landed on it seeming quite determined to rubbish that excitement with a heavy dose of whataboutery. Maybe they just genuinely were saddened that there appeared to have been less strength of feeling over the other issue, but given the timing and manner in which it was raised it read like sour grapes, frankly. Anyway, glad to see that most people have not let it damp their spirits!

It's looking like Donegal has said yes too. Donegal for God's sake!

If Donegal has voted yes, then there can be no doubt.

tally says slight no in Longford. Fuck ye, Longford! 75 to 25 in Tipp though? Fucking hell yeah!

Awesome - Looks like the locals ignored that giant electronic vote no screen in Thurles.