European Parliament election count 2024 day 2

As noted in my previous blog, I suspect I am going to get the least number of votes in this campaign but nonetheless, I got up on Sunday monring to travel to Castlebar where all the European Parliament ballot papers have been brought together for counting.

I took a few more photos today.

Due to the recent acts of harassment against people who participate in public life, there is a high level of security to protect us. We have been given passes to go in and out. Garda have been stationed at all the entrances to protect the VIPs and the election officials.

 

Luke Ming Flanagan, one of the sitting members, was being interviewed. I took a picture.

The reporter questioned Ming about the celebrity candidate Nina Carberry:

"And not only that, hiding a candidate during a campaign works if Nina Carberry gets elected – because I have never ever in my life met Nina Carberry.”

Mr Flanagan said it was a “pity” that the candidates likely to be elected do not have more experience in the European Parliament.

The district is bigger than the three smallest countries in the EU and it is possible that their paths didn't cross for some other reason. I met Miss Carberry once at the Chambers of Commerce hustings in Meath.

Some of the reporters have asked me about my own political experience. The story of FSFE Fellowship electing me on the anniversary of the Easter Rising has become just as well known as the story of the FSFE (German non-profit) hacking the constitution to prohibit further elections.

While the candidates engaged in discussion, the election officials have a huge task counting over one million ballot papers. As there are a record 27 candidates, the ballot paper has never been so big. Procedures for handling these huge ballot papers are still evolving, as reported in the news.

Some of the voters write notes or draw cartoons on their ballot papers.

You need two hands to handle them all:

After they fill up the pigeon holes, the ballot papers are moved to these tables for checking and they are organized into bundles of fifty.

 

The ballot papers are enormous. Some people started using shopping trolleys to move them around.

To comply with regulations, these have been photographed from a distance where they are not readable.