NI election 2022: Voters set to go to polls in assembly election

Voters will go to the polls later to elect the 90 members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Polls are open from 07:00 to 22:00 BST.

A total of 239 candidates are running in 18 constituencies across Northern Ireland, including a record 87 women.

Five candidates will be elected in each constituency, with voters using the single transferable vote (STV) form of proportional representation, which allows them to rank as many candidates as they want in order of preference.

The election will not only decide who is elected to the assembly, but also who is entitled to hold the posts of first minister and deputy first minister.

The biggest party after the election will be entitled to the role of first minister while the biggest party from the second biggest of the unionist and nationalist blocs will be entitled to the role of deputy first minister.

But because the roles are a joint office and one cannot exist without other, both of these parties would have to agree to work together for Northern Ireland's devolved executive to return.

The polling box departed Ballycastle the day before the election in order to make it to Rathlin Island on time.

With no ferries scheduled until 8.00 BST on Thursday, the box made the journey the day prior to give those on the island the same opportunity to vote.

Even though it serves a much smaller proportion of the electorate, polling will also remain open until 22:00 BST, before being transported back.

Over 100 people were on the roll last time out in 2019, but with new first time voters and arrivals to the island this is set to increase.

Sinn Féin is fielding the most candidates with 34, followed by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who are standing 30.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has 27, while Alliance has 24 and the SDLP has 22.

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is fielding 19 candidates, the Green Party has 18 and People Before Profit 12.

One of the Green Party candidates, Stefan Taylor in Mid Ulster, has been suspended from the party but his name will still appear on the ballot paper as a Green candidate.

Aontú is also fielding 12 candidates, the Workers Party has six candidates in the race and the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) three.

The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and the Socialist Party have two candidates each.

The Northern Ireland Conservatives, Cross Community Labour Alternative (CCLA), Resume NI and Heritage Party are all fielding one candidate each.

There are also 24 independent candidates in the field.

Of all 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland, Belfast West has the largest number of candidates standing, with 17 going on the ballot paper.

East Antrim has the fewest with 10 candidates standing in the constituency.

Go to your polling station between 0700 and 2200 - you can find where your station is by looking at your polling card which was posted out to you.

You do not need to take your polling card with you, although it can speed things up, but you must take photographic identification.

Last month, chief electoral officer Virginia McVea confirmed people with Covid can vote in person.

On Wednesday, she said staff would "do everything that we can to protect you within the polling station".

"We would encourage you to bring your own mask," she continued.

"If you are nervous, please bring your own pen or pencil into the polling booth. You can use that."

STV is a voting system designed to allow voters more choice than just one candidate and to avoid votes being "wasted", which some people argue is common in other systems such as first-past-the-post.

It is a proportional system, which means that parties will win roughly the same proportion of seats in the assembly as the votes they receive.

Voters rank candidates in order of preference and are able to vote for as many or as few candidates as they like.

They write a "1" beside their favourite candidate, a "2" beside their second favourite, and so on.

Verification of ballots begins at 08:00 on Friday and counting will start after that.

We could know the first results from lunchtime and counting will continue throughout Friday and possible into Saturday.

There will be full coverage on the BBC News NI website throughout the day and on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster from 12.15.