Waterford City and County Council recently launched its dedicated Elections Hub site.
The online hub Waterford Elections 2024 provides real-time information ahead of the upcoming local and European elections.
The site contains information about the local and European elections, details of Waterford’s six electoral areas, along with information about voting eligibility. This, the first dedicated election hub to be rolled out by a local authority in Ireland, was designed by Waterford City and County Council’s GIS and Data Transformation team.
Commenting on the launch of the hub, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Joe Conway said, “This is an informative, accessible, and easy-to-use resource, available in Irish and English, that will answer the questions Waterford’s electorate is asking.
“It offers key information in the run-up to the elections such as providing directions to assigned polling stations and local electoral area maps which will prove very useful and make the voting process easier.”
The mayor added, “We are particularly proud that the hub is also available in Irish. As a Gaeltacht County, this resource will be a valuable and trusted source of information ‘as Gaeilge’ for all our citizens to make informed choices at the ballot box.”
Jon Hawkins, Waterford City and County Council’s GIS Project Lead, explains the premise of the hub. “Waterford Elections hub was built using the council’s geographical information system (ArcGIS by ESRI) and is updated daily from the Register of Electors database, using its data integration and data enrichment platform, FME by Safe Software.
“Not only will it provide residents and voters with relevant ballot information before they cast their vote, but the design also aims to increase voter participation as it helps voters find their assigned polling station so they can easily cast their vote on the day.”
Dermot O’Kane of ERSI welcomed the initiative saying, “This is a fantastic new resource for the people of Waterford. This new web app harnesses the power of data to provide its citizens with easy access to election information, empowering them to engage meaningfully in the process.”
Paul Johnston, Acting Director of Services and Returning Officer with Waterford City and County Council added, “The hub will continue to update and evolve over the coming months. Once the election polling day is announced by the Minister of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Waterford City and County Council will publish notice inviting nominations, which when approved, will be added to the hub. This information will include the name and address of the candidate and the electoral area in which they are running. In total, candidates will contest for 32 seats across six local electoral areas in Waterford city and county.”
The hub can be used to access information such as:
Locate my Polling Station: This application helps you locate your assigned Polling Station by entering your Eircode.
Local Electoral Area Map: View the extent of each individual Electoral Area within Waterford City and County on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Voting and Registration FAQs: Comprehensive list of common questions you may be asking before an election or casting your ballot.
Who are my Councillors: By simply entering your Eircode you will be informed about what electoral area you live within and details of current local, national, and European Elected representatives (updated when the Notice of Poll closing date has passed).
Election Results: Explore certified results as they become available.
Find out more about the upcoming local and European elections at Waterford Elections 2024 at www.waterfordcouncil.ie
