Northern Ireland sovereignty referendum, 1973
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The Northern Ireland referendum of 1973 (also known as the Border Poll) was a referendum held in Northern Ireland only on March 8, 1973 on whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or join with the Republic of Ireland to form a United Ireland.
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[edit] Party support
The nationalist parties had argued that the whole of Ireland should be allowed to vote in the referendum, but the British government rejected the proposal. As a result, nationalist parties boycotted the vote. Gerry Fitt, leader of the SDLP, said he had organised a boycott to stop an escalation in violence.[1] The unionist parties supported the 'UK' option, as did the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Labour Party.
[edit] Results
The vote resulted in an overwhelming majority for the unionist side. The nationalist boycott led to a low turnout of 58.1%. The electorate were asked to indicate:
- Do you want NI to remain part of the UK?
Or - Do you want NI to be joined with the Republic of Ireland, outside of the UK?
| Option 1 votes | Option 1 votes (%) | Option 2 votes | Option 2 (%) | Turnout (%) |
| 591,820 | 98.9 | 6,463 | 1.1 | 58.1 |
In addition to taking a majority of votes cast, the UK option received the support of 57.5% of the total electorate.
[edit] Government response
No action was taken, as the results were in favour of remaining part of the UK. It was followed by the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973 on 28 June.
[edit] See also
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