BREAKING: Exit polls in Ireland's abortion referendum predict landslide win

Polls have just closed after a day of voting across Ireland on whether to repeal the 8th amendment, governing abortion. How are exit polls calling it? 

Vastly in favor of the Yes vote, to repeal the 8th amendment and change Ireland's highly restrictive abortion laws. 

The IrishTimes/IPSOS exit poll is predicting that "the margin of victory for the Yes side in the referendum will be 68 per cent to 32 per cent – a stunning victory for the Yes side after a long and often divisive campaign."

Photo: RollingNews.ie

With a voter turnout as high as 70% in some areas, turnout is believed to be even greater than for the marriage equality referendum. 

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The survey polled 4,000 voters at 160 polling stations across Ireland throughout the day and has a margin of error of +/-1.5%. 

Fine Gael campaign for YES with Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Photo: RollingNews

The official counting of the votes won't begin until 9 am tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but these exit poll results point to a landslide victory for the Yes vote much larger than most people anticipated. 

Per the poll, urban voters carried the Yes victory, with 77% of Dublin voters in support of the repeal. However, 60% of rural voters also voted in favor, which comes as a shock to many who assumed rural voters could make it a close call for the No vote. 

Photo: RollingNews

Seventy percent of women voters supported the repeal, but men also came out in support by a much higher margin than was predicted, at 65%. 

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This is the third time since the 8th amendment was introduced in 1983 that Ireland has held a referendum on abortion legislation. 

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