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Sixteen people will lose out, although financially, some will lose more than others.

Candidates can apply for reimbursement of their election expenses A) if they are elected and B) if they were not elected but have exceeded one quarter of the quota at any stage of the counting of votes.

This is what we used to call, 'getting your deposit back' which harks back to the days when candidates had to lodge a sum of money to stand for election.

The quota in a Bye-Election is 50% of the total number of votes cast, plus one extra vote.

So, if 40,000 people cast their vote today, Friday, the quota will be 20,001. To get election expenses reimbursed, candidates will need to have accumulated 5,001 votes (one quarter of 20,001) by the time they are eliminated.

According to SIPO (Standards in Public Office) the maximum amount of electoral expenses that may be reimbursed to candidates is the lesser of €11,200 or the actual amount of election expenses incurred on........

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