The two referendums put forward to vote on amendments to the Irish constitution have been soundly defeated following the count today (Saturday, March 9).
The votes were cast yesterday (Friday, March 8) across polling stations in Ireland, which resulted in both the referendum asking people to vote on the family amendment and the referendum asking people to vote on the care amendment have had a significant majority vote ‘no‘ to these amendments.
The turnout for the referendum on the ‘family’ amendment was 44.36% (1,525,215 of 3,438,566), with Wicklow being the constituency with the highest turnout (51.4%).
67.69% voted ‘no’ across the island, which equalled to 1,021,546 votes.
In Donegal, there was a resounding ‘no’ vote to the ‘family’ referendum, as 80.21% of the 49,363 who turned out to vote, voted against the amendment.
The ‘care’ referendum saw 73.93% of the country voting ‘no’, with a total of 1,525,221 voting.
44.36% of the electorate turned out to vote, with 81.25% of the Cavan-Monaghan constituency voting ‘no’.
County turnouts
40,480 voted in Cork east, which was 45.11% of the electorate, while Cork north-central saw 36,639 vote (42.57% of the electorate).
The Cork north-west constituency saw 44.67% of a turnout, with Cork south-west seeing a lower 42.78% turnout.
28,892 out of the 70,758 electorate in Galway east voted, just 40.83% of the electorate, compared to 41.71% of the electorate in west Galway who voted.
42.49% of the electorate in Wexford turned out to vote, a total of 48,719.
The Roscommon-Galway constituency saw 28,947 vote, just 43.74% of the electorate.
In Mayo, voter turnout was 43.35%, while the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency saw a 42.7% turnout with a total valid poll of 49,546.
In Meath east, 45.94% (31,176) turned out to vote, while in Meath west, the turnout was lower, as just 39.71% (29,732) of the electorate turned out to vote.
42.61% of the electorate in Kerry voted yesterday, representing a total of 47,835 voters.
Of the 70,511-strong electorate in Limerick county, 30,053 (42.6%) turned out to vote in the referendums.
37,437 constituents in Longford-Westmeath voted yesterday, which was 40.86% of the electorate.
Voters in Tipperary for the referendums represented 44.43% of the electorate, or 54,280 out of a possible 122,159 voters.
The Clare constituency saw a turnout of 48,763 voters, which was 42.69% of the electorate.
Voters in Cavan-Monaghan totalled 48,763 out of a possible 108,812, a 44.81% turnout.
Laois-Offaly constituents saw their electorate reach 49,025 voters, or a turnout of 43.71%
In Louth, the turnout was 47.55%, while the Waterford constituency saw a 42.87% turnout.
In the Sligo-Leitrim constituency, 39,719 voted out of a possible 93,065.
What the referendums asked
The 39th amendment (family) would re-word several articles of the constitution to establish that families can be based on “other durable relationships” in addition to marriage.
On the white ballot, voters were asked: Do you approve of the proposal to amend the Constitution contained in the undermentioned bill? 39th Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023.
The 40th amendment (care) would replace two articles that state that women support Irish society via their “life within the home,” adding a new article that describes state support for family members who serve as caregivers, regardless of gender.
On the green ballot, voters were asked: Do you approve of the proposal to amend the Constitution contained in the undermentioned bill? Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023.
Due to the outcome of each referendum being ‘no’, these amendments will not be adopted into the constitution.
Therefore, the articles will continue to read:
Family:
Article 41.1.1: “The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.”
In Article 41.3.1: “The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack.”
Care:
Article 41.2.1: “In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.”
Article 41.2.2: “The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.”