With forty of the forty-three constituencies completed, the final three, Galway West, Laois/Offaly and Wicklow have begun recounts. While both of the Galway and Laois/Offaly recounts are believed to be fairly straightforward, it appears the Wicklow one is likely to run on and on.
Before the voting had even closed, it became apparent that there would be difficulties with the election in Wicklow. Reports began to emerge that the ballot, which can be seen here, was "overly-complex" . Due to the huge number of independents running, two columns were required, with fourteen of the party picture boxes empty, and one candidate being photoless. This has lead to claims that people were "confused" as to which boxes to enter votes into.
Add to this, there are in total 24 candidates, 11 of which received fewer than 1000 votes, which has meant that the elimination and redistribution of votes has been a long and fruitless process. As of the thirteenth count, no candidate had been eliminated, and a recount has been called, due to Dick Roche being only three votes behind his FF colleague, Pat Fitzgerald. According to local reports, the Sinn Fein candidate has also called in legal advice, ahead of what they believe will be a close call for their candidate in the battle for the last seat. As it stands, it could be a while before this constituency knows exactly who it's representatives will be.
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