Adrian Kavanagh, 1st March 2016

As an electoral geographer, I am very interested in outlining which local newspapers published tally figures for February’s general election contest. When I refer to tallies/tally sheets I am of course NOT referring to election results or election count details, but instead referring to documents that can show the number of votes each candidate won in each polling box in a Dail/general election constituency – or part of a general election constituency. These can give a very accurate sense then as to the geography of a party/candidates’s votes within a particular constituency. Tally figures are the very lifeblood of Irish electoral geography.

Based on past precedents, tally figures tend to be regularly published following election weekends in certain local newspapers/certain regions (i.e. the West/South West/North West/North Midlands/South East), but these tend not to feature in local newspapers in other regions/constituencies (e.g. Laois!!!). In fairness to the local newspapers, in most cases tally figures are not published because local political parties do not make these available to them.

Local newspapers which published tally figures in the week immediately after the 2016 General Election included:

• Longford Leader (tally figures for every box in the Longford-Westmeath constituency)
• Donegal News (tally figures for every box in the Donegal constituency)
• Donegal Democrat (tally figures for every box in the Donegal constituency, as well as south Donegal tallies and some Leitrim tallies for the Sligo-Leitrim constituency)
• Wexford People (tally figures for every box in the Wexford constituency: single issues can be bought online, but do require you to download Press Reader)
• Western People (tally figures for every box in the Mayo constituency, for the Sligo boxes in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency and for the Mayo boxes in the Galway West constituency)
• The Mayo News (tally figures for every box in the Mayo constituency and for the Mayo boxes in the Galway West constituency)
• The Connaught Telegraph (tally figures for every box in the Mayo constituency)
• Westmeath Examiner (tally figures for every box in the Westmeath part of the Longford-Westmeath constituency)
• Westmeath Independent (tally figures for box in the Athlone part of the Longford-Westmeath constituency and the Athlone area in the Roscommon-Galway constituency)
• Roscommon Herald (tally figures for every box in the Roscommon-Galway constituency)
• Kerry’s Eye (tally figures for every box in the Kerry constituency)
• The Kerryman (tally figures for every box in the Kerry constituency)
• Leitrim Observer (tally figures for every box in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency, including Co. Sligo and the south Donegal/West Cavan boxes, as well as Co. Leitrim.)
• Wicklow People (tally figures for every box in the Wexford constituency)
• The Corkman (tally figures for every box in the Cork East constituency and most of the boxes (northern part) of the Cork North-West constituency)
• The Clare Champion (tally figures for every box in the Clare constituency)
• Clare People (tally figures for every box in the Clare constituency)
• Limerick Leader (tally figures for every box in the Limerick City and Limerick County constituencies)
• Galway City Tribune (tally figures for the Galway boxes in the Galway West constituency)

The Anglo Celt did not have a box-by-box tally figures break down for Cavan-Monaghan, but it did give a breakdown for the different electoral areas/local election constituencies located within this constituency. It did also offer a detailed box-by-box tally figure breakdown for the 28 West Cavan polling boxes that were located in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency!!!

Sligo Weekender did not have a box-by-box tally figures break down for Sligo-Leitrim, but it does give a breakdown for the total votes won by each candidates in this constituency in the Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan and south Donegal parts of this constituency

Local newspapers which have published tally figures two weeks after the 2016 General Election include:

• Connacht Tribune (tally figures for every box in the Galway East, Galway West and Roscommon-Galway constituencies)
• Drogheda Independent (tally figures for every box in the Louth constituency)
• Dundalk Democrat (tally figures for every box in the Louth constituency)
• The Argus (tally figures for every box in the Louth constituency)
• Waterford News & Star (tally figures for the Waterford constituency)

As local newspapers need to make money and as this would effectively amount to plagiarism, I will not be making any of these tally figures available here. (I also don’t have the time to do this…)

It looks as if no local newspaper will be publishing Carlow-Kilkenny tally figures, although the KCLR Radio does contain some tally information. From a glance at the site, it can be seen that there is tally details on the total number of votes won by different candidates in the Carlow boxes. This also seems to apply in the case of all of the Dublin constituencies, most of the Cork constituencies (with the notable exception of those covered in The Corkman), as well as the constituencies covering the counties of Meath, Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Tipperary. (As noted above, there were no box-by-box tally figures for Cavan-Monaghan, although the Anglo Celt did offer a breakdown at the local election constituency (electoral area) level.

Local newspapers that have not published General Election 2016 tally figures in the week following General Election 2016 include the following: Leinster Leader, Laois Nationalist, Leinster Express, Sligo Champion, Liffey Champion, Meath Chronicle, Tipperary Star, Kilkenny People, Carlow Nationalist, Kildare Nationalist, Nenagh Guardian, Fingal Independent, The Tuam Herald, The Munster Express, The Southern Star, The Midland Tribune, The Tullamore Tribune. Some of these (hopefully) may publish tallies at some (or may have done so and I have not picked up on this), so I will update list if this proves to be the case