Polling at the referendum took place on Wednesday, 16th October, 1968, between the hours of 9 a.m.and 9 p.m. A referendum on the voting system took place on the same day. The subject matter of the referendum was described as follows in the official polling card sent to each elector:
THE THIRD AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION BILL, 1968, proposes that in forming Dáil constituencies, the population per deputy in any case may not be greater or less than the national average by more than one-sixth and that regard must be had to the extent and accessibility of constituencies, the need for having convenient areas of representation and the desirability of avoiding the over-lapping of county boundaries.”
(This statement was prescribed by the Referendum (Amendment) Act, 1968).
The total number of votes recorded in favour of the proposal was 424,185 and the total number of votes recorded against the proposal was 656,803. The proposal was not, therefore, approved by the people.
Result Summary
| Electorate: | 1,717,389 |
| Total Poll: | 1,129,477 |
| Percentage Poll: | 65.77% |
| Votes in favour of the proposal: | 424,185 |
| Votes against the proposal: | 656,803 |
| Invalid Ballot Papers: | 48,489 |