Irish referendums: Voting closes on family and care constitution changes

Polls for the twin referendums closed at 22:00 local time on Friday

Polls have closed in two referendums on changing Ireland's constitution regarding family and care.

Voters were asked if they wish to expand the definition of family to include those not based around marriages.

They were asked if they wish to remove a reference to the role of women in the home, and put in one recognising care provided by family members.

Polls opened at 07:00 local time and closed at 22:00.

The Irish Electoral Commission said 3.3m polling information cards were delivered in advance of polling day.

In order to vote, a person needed to be aged 18 or over, an Irish citizen, registered to vote and ordinarily reside in Ireland.

The Irish government announced in December that the referendums would take place on International Women's Day.

Turnout figures

Turnout across the country is understood to have been low early in the day, with some polling stations quiet.

However, voter numbers rose later, with turnout at one polling station in Dublin reaching 46% by 8.30pm, with 50% turnout at some stations in Cork city and parts of County Limerick, according to RTÉ, the national broadcaster.

Polls remained open until 22:00 for most of the country, with earlier closing on some coastal islands.

Voting closed at 15:00 on two County Donegal islands, Tory and Gola, with a 37% turnout in the former and 28% in the latter, RTÉ reported.

Counting gets under way at 09:00 on Saturday morning.

What are Irish voters being asked?

At the polling stations on Friday, voters were given two ballots - one white and one green.

The white ballot asked if voters wanted to accept or reject the Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution Bill - otherwise known as the family amendment.

This proposes inserting the words "whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships" into the constitution.

The existing protection afforded to families under the constitution, as currently written, only extends to families built around a marriage.

However, if the amendment is passed, different family units would have the same constitutional rights and protections.

If rejected, the current wording will remain the same.

Voters were also given a green ballot. This referred to the Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution Bill - or the care amendment.

This amendment proposes to delete wording which references the role of women in the home.

It also proposes inserting the following wording with gender-neutral language: "The state recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive to support such provision."

• Irish votes on gender and family to be held in March

In the Republic of Ireland, a referendum must be held if the government wishes to change something in the Irish constitution.

The constitution, known as Bunreacht na hÉireann, was first ratified in 1937 but has seen many changes over the years, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2015 and the repeal of the country's abortion ban in 2018.