Polling Day Poll: Among Spoiled Voters, Steen The Most Favoured Candidate

Among those who said they spoiled their vote in our exit poll of the Irish Presidential Election, dissatisfaction with the choices on the ballot ran deep. Over half (58%) stated that the candidates on the ballot did not represent their views, while 35% said that they simply were not good enough. Only 7% felt that neither applied.

When prompted to specify who they would have preferred to see on the ballot, Maria Steen was the most popular alternative by a wide margin (67.4%). Otherwise, various other names that have often been suggested as preferred candidates in the run up to this election, such as Bob Geldof (4.2%), Conor McGregor (4%), Nick Delehanty (3.7%), Gareth Sheridan (2.9%), and Bertie Ahern (2.6%) were also included. Notably, 4.8% of voters that ended up spoiling their ballot would have backed Mairead McGuinness were she still in the race.