The polling stations for the public election in the Stormont Assembly elections in 2022 are already closed, so what will happen next?
The check and counting of the ballots starts at 8 am on Friday.
The census will take place at three counting centers: the Titanic Exhibition Center in Belfast, the University of Ulster in Jordanstown and the Meadowbank sports arena in Magerafelt.
Read more:BBC NI election debate: Assessing the performance of Stormont leaders in the battle for votes
The results will appear throughout the day as the number progresses. It will be many hours – and maybe even Saturday or after – before we know the end result.
For the last Assembly elections in 2017, the census began on Friday and the final result that had to be completed was the South Belfast constituency at around 3 am on Saturday.
Election officials will decide late Friday whether to continue counting in the wee hours to end, or whether to take a break and start again on Saturday morning.
This means that there will be an impatient wait for the 239 candidates running in the 18 constituencies of Northern Ireland.
Five deputies will be elected in each constituency – a total of 90 seats in the Assembly, which will be grabbed.
How votes are counted
Assembly elections use a system called Single Transferable Vote (STV), which allows voters to rank candidates according to their preferences. This is a system that ensures that we have a number of voices heard in Stormont.
So how do we determine who is elected?
In each constituency, a “quota” is calculated using a mathematical formula based on the number of seats and the number of votes cast.
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The votes with the first preference (number 1 in the ballots) are counted and each candidate who meets the quota is elected.
If a candidate has more votes than the quota known as “surplus”, their vote is redistributed among the other candidates. So the candidate marked “2” in these ballots receives these votes added to their number.
While voting continues at different stages, the candidates with the fewest votes are removed from the race and their second preferences are transferred to the other candidates.
Round by round, this process continues until we have the five candidates above or closest to the quota who are considered selected.
Belfast Live will have all the latest results, reactions and analyzes while the votes are being counted.
What are the key places to watch?
Of the 18 constituencies, several are considered key battlefields. Check out our summary of where winnings can be made or lost.
The election is a big moment for the Stormont parties, which spent thousands of pounds on social media ads during the election campaign.
According to opinion polls, the result will be a battle between the DUP and Sinn Féin to lose the fewest seats and thus prove to be the largest party.
There is also the question of whether the “leap of the Alliance” during the 2019 elections will continue, which could lead to changes in Stormont’s system of power-sharing.
Read more:BBC NI election debate: Assessing the performance of Stormont leaders in the battle for votes
Read more:A review of Stormont Party Assembly election broadcasts
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