GE19

#GE2024 postal ballot and proxy vote statistics

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Bar chart showing 2019 and 2024 valid postal ballots returned and included in the General Election poll by constituency along with the percentage change in postal ballots returned and proxy votes issued between 2019 and 2024 by constituency.

With the 4 July General Election being called during school holidays in Northern Ireland (and much of Scotland), was there an increase in the number of postal ballots and proxy votes issued? Yes and no. The statistics for 2024 have been published by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland this afternoon. (link to 2019 stats) Postal Ballots The number of postal ballots issued jumped from 16,993 in GE2019 to 25,747 in GE2024. That’s a 52% increase. Not every postal ballot …

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Slugger TV looks at #GE19

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Slugger TV: Episode 33 from Northern Visions NvTv on Vimeo. This month, Chris Donnelly and Alan Meban look at the recent general election. Photo by mounsey is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

As Unionism across Northern Ireland licks its collective wounds, what next?

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As Unionism across Northern Ireland licks its collective wounds after a devastating Westminster election, I wanted to focus on two crucial battlegrounds where political Unionism acted in an unacceptable manner, namely North Belfast and Fermanagh and South Tyrone (FST). Both battles were on paper, good old-fashioned knockdown and drag-out fights involving a single Unionist candidate against the might of the old foe – Sinn Fein. Unionism approached both campaigns in a very different manner but the outcome was the same …

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What to look out for next week

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Image result for northern ireland election count

It’s nearly all over as Northern Ireland faces its third general election in just four years. As we get ready to head back to the polls, I thought it would be useful to pull together some things for you to look out for For the UK wide picture as soon as it hits 10pm the main networks BBC, ITV and SKY News will publish the results of their exit poll, be cautious about other polls out there! The main exit …

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Could a DUP Victory in North Belfast Paradoxically aid Remain?

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Dr Adam Fusco is a Associate Lecturer in Politics at the University of York As the polls stand the result of 2019 general election is predicted to be an overall Conservative majority. However, a hung parliament is not ruled out from the realms of possibility. In such a scenario the Conservative and Labour parties will be attempting to gain as much support from others to form a government. The tacit Remain alliance that has emerged in Northern Ireland in advance …

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Women, Northern Ireland and the 2019 General Election

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Clare Rice is Research Assistant on the ‘Performing Identities: Post-Brexit Northern Ireland and the reshaping of 21st Century Governance’ project at Newcastle University, a PhD Candidate and TA at QUB, and an occasional commentator. Twitter: @Clare_Rice_ We are less than a week into the 2019 Westminster election campaign and already we have seen a concerning pattern begin to emerge. It isn’t unusual for sizeable numbers of MPs to decide to step down from elected politics (see this useful overview), but …

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Clare Bailey endorses Claire Hanna for South Belfast

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Clare Bailey says; These are extraordinary times that demand an extraordinary response. “Almost 70% of the people of South Belfast voted to remain in the EU and its vital that a pro-Remain MP is returned. “This is a first past the post election and Claire Hanna is best placed to take the South Belfast seat from the incumbent pro-Brexit MP based on previous results. “Brexit has been a shambles right from the beginning and chaos has reigned at Westminster ever …

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Slugger TV looks at the UUP and the DUP

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Slugger TV: Episode 31 from Northern Visions NvTv on Vimeo. This month’s Slugger TV assesses the incoming UUP Leader and looks back at the recent DUP conference. David McCann was joined in the NVTV studio by former DUP SPAD Tim Cairns and the commentator Sarah Creighton. If you require subtitles please watch the YouTube version below and turn on the captions. David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter …

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The Alliance Party surge could spell trouble for the DUP at Westminster

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With a UK general election expected to be weeks away, local parties are bracing themselves for another round of elections, on what would be the eighth occasion that Northern Ireland has gone to the polls since 2015. Given that the Conservative government relies upon the DUP’s 10 MPs for their wafer-thin majority, the battle for Westminster in Northern Ireland is likely to receive more attention in Great Britain than historically has been the case. The big story of recent elections …

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#GE19 or #GE20: what to expect

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  With speculation mounting that we may see a general election either by the end of the year, or early in 2020 now feels like an appropriate time to look at the results of the 2017 Westminster election to remind us of the current state of play. Following a walking holiday in Wales at Easter 2017 Theresa May called a snap general election in order to give herself an increased, working majority in the Commons so that she could deliver …

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