The number of people who spoiled their votes in the presidential election reached unprecedented levels as large numbers of voters expressed anger at the choice of candidates on the ballot and the exclusion of others.
Early in counting on Saturday, it became clear from tallies that the percentage of spoiled votes could reach record levels.
Large numbers of spoiled votes were cast in working-class areas in particular, though significant numbers appeared in most boxes across all 43 constituencies.
The number of spoiled votes was set to surpass 200,000 – the highest number cast in a modern Irish election – or more than 14 per cent of the vote, based on first count results in 40 of the 43 constituencies as of 6pm on Saturday.
At the last 2018 presidential election, spoiled votes totalled 18,438, accounting for 1.2 per cent of the total. Just over 1 per cent of votes were spoiled in the 2011 presidential election.
At the RDS in Dublin, where the majority of the votes in Dublin were counted, a number of ballots with “not my president”, “she was only 10″ and “Maria Steen No 1″ could be seen.
Steen, a conservative campaigner, failed to secure a nomination, falling two short of the required 20 Oireachtas members to get her name on the ballot.
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The reference “she was only 10″ related to a 26-year-old man who is alleged to have assaulted a 10-year-old girl in Saggart, west Dublin outside an accommodation centre for asylum seekers. The man is before the courts and cannot be identified due to the nature of the charge against him.
A spoiled vote in Killarney, Co Kerry among many of those emerging from boxes around the country on Saturday morning 
Spoiled votes from the Dublin South West count centre as the first boxes are being opened for counting of presidential votes at Dublins RDS count centre. Photograph: Alan Betson
Other spoiled votes had “Connor”, “Dustin the Turkey”, “Donald Trump” and “Ipas centres out of here” written on them.
A tally of a box from Cherry Orchard in west Dublin included 120 spoiled votes, with about 130 first preferences for Catherine Connolly, 11 for Heather Humphreys and just one for Jim Gavin.
A box from Chapelizod, in the Dublin South Central constituency, included a spoiled ballot that had images of Maria Steen and Nick Delahanty stuck on to the sheet of paper and “fiasco” written at the top.
A spoiled vote in Sligo-Leitrim 
A spoiled vote in Sligo-Leitrim 
Spoiled votes from boxes at Dublin’s RDS count centre. Photograph: Dan Dennison 
Spoiled votes from boxes at Dublin’s RDS count centre. Photograph: Dan Dennison
Labour leader Ivana Bacik expressed concern about what she described as an orchestrated spoiled-vote campaign.
She described the campaign as “really concerning and an undermining of democracy”.
“I’m really alarmed to see the level of vitriol and the messages that are being written on the ballot papers,” she said.
“It is some sort of orchestrated campaign here,” she said.
Conceding defeat to Connolly, Humphreys said it was “unfortunate people spoiled their votes”.
“Some people were upset by the number of candidates. I had expected that there would be more. I am sure that Catherine thought the same,” she said.
“Maybe that is something that should be looked at but that is a matter for Government.”