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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Catherine Connolly pictured yesterday leaving Claddagh National School in Galway city after casting her vote in the electionAlamy Stock Photo One Direction Early tallies point to comprehensive Connolly win and sharp increase in spoiled ballots Connolly told reporters at her local count centre that she is ‘absolutely delighted’ with the results so far. 11.16am, 25 Oct 2025 Share options EARLY TALLIES IN the presidential election point to an overwhelming victory by Catherine Connolly but also reveal a sharp increase in spoiled ballots. Connolly told reporters at her local count centre in Galway West that she is “absolutely delighted” with the results so far. “We came together on behalf of a new vision for the country, and we should be proud to represent the public on this, when it comes to housing and peace,” Connolly said. “I will put hope into people again and I have to say to them, the office is for you. I am only a symbol of the new movement. “I am incredibly hopeful that this movement will continue, and I have no doubt about that,” Connolly added. Tallies suggest Catherine Connolly is on course to become the tenth President of Ireland. Arriving at the Galway West count centre, Ms Connolly said she was “absolutely delighted” and thanked “everybody”, including those who did not vote for her.#presidentialelection #ireland… pic.twitter.com/FZBOtxcm4c— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 25, 2025 Connolly thanked her supporters and also thanked “everybody, even those that didn’t vote for me.” She added: “I understand their concerns in relation to who will represent them best, and I will do my utmost to represent everyone.” As of 9.45am in both Cork North and South Central, Connolly was claiming close to 70% of the boxes tallied. Heather Humphreys was taking in around 24% of the ballots in early tallies here, while Jim Gavin was claiming around 6% of votes. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín told RTÉ this morning that a vote for the Fianna Fáil candidate, who ended his campaign in early October, was akin to a spoiled ballot. There is also a sharp increase in the number of spoiled ballots, many of which contain anti-government messaging. Advertisement In some areas, spoiled ballots were tallying higher than Heather Humphreys, such as in Dublin South Central. More spoiled votes than for Heather Humpreys in Dublin South Central 19.15% or 5466 spoiled votes On total valid poll Connolly 78.5% Humphreys 16.08% This was Fine Gael’s weakest constituency in General Election— Barry Lenihan (@BarryLenihan) October 25, 2025 And in Offaly, the number of spoiled ballots was at over 20% in early tallies. It had been noted before the election that a sharp increase in spoiled ballots could prolong the count, as each invalid ballot needs to be individually adjudicated by the returning officer. Spoil the vote In the 2011 presidential election, some 18,676 votes were spoiled, which equalled around 1% of the total votes cast. There was a similar number of spoiled votes in 2018, with 18,438 opting to spoil their vote, some 1.2% of all votes cast. This time around though, there was a concerted effort to spoil the vote. A recent Ipsos/B&A poll showed that a significant 6% of voters plan to spoil their vote but early tallies suggest that the number of spoiled ballots will be higher than that. Businessman and former European election candidate Declan Ganley is one of the figures behind the campaign to encourage people to spoil their vote – before the election, he said he would write in “1 Maria Steen” on his ballot. Pictures from count centres around the country show that a number of people followed his lead. A lot of effort gone into this spoiled vote from Chapelizod in Dublin South Central #Aras25 @IrishTimes pic.twitter.com/LE5unBctNo— Sarah Burns (@sarahburnss_) October 25, 2025 When Ganley asked what changes could be made to the process of getting on the ballot, he suggested that getting the signatures of between 10,000 and 20,000 people should be enough. He also suggested that local authorities should not be allowed to block votes on potentially backing a candidate. 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Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Catherine Connolly Heather Humphreys One Direction Presidential Election spoil the vote News in 60 seconds Connolly on course for resounding win over Humphreys in election Marek Puska Investigation launched as brother of Jozef Puska attacked in Mountjoy Prison overnight spoiled votes Spoiled votes emerge from boxes in large numbers, with many referencing alternative candidates 17 mins ago Trump talks Trump heads to Asia for talks with China's Xi Jinping and also eyes meeting with Kim Jong Un 41 mins ago Broken glass held to head of baby in back seat of stolen car in Belfast Man arrested over alleged assault on two people canvassing with Mary Lou McDonald yesterday on course for victory 'I will do my utmost to represent everyone': Connolly hopes to be symbol of new movement As it happened Áras election turnout quite low as polls near close Dublin city centre Gardaí called as Mary Lou McDonald and canvassers threatened on Dublin street Connolly on course for resounding win over Humphreys in election The Morning Lead Ireland's next president: The votes have been cast, but when will we know the offical result? more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. 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