1973 Northern Ireland border poll

Northern Ireland border poll

8 March 1973
Northern Ireland within Great Britain & Ireland
Voting system	Majority voting
Outcome	Northern Ireland remains a constituent part of the United Kingdom
Results
Choice Votes % Remain part of the United Kingdom 591,280 98.92% Join with the Republic of Ireland 6,463 1.08% Valid votes 597,743 99.01% Invalid or blank votes 5,973 0.99% Total votes 603,716 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 1,029,544 58.64%
Source: Results of the "Border Poll" Referendum of 1973

National and regional referendums held within the United Kingdom and its constituent countries
Northern Ireland border poll     1973 EC membership referendum     1975 Scottish devolution referendum     1979 Welsh devolution referendum     1979 Scottish devolution referendum     1997 Welsh devolution referendum     1997 Greater London Authority referendum     1998 NI Good Friday Agreement referendum     1998 NE England devolution referendum     2004 Welsh devolution referendum     2011 Alternative Vote referendum     2011 Scottish independence referendum     2014 EU membership referendum     2016     * UK-wide referendums in bold
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The Northern Ireland border poll was a referendum held in Northern Ireland on 8 March 1973 on whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or join with the Republic of Ireland to form a united Ireland. It was the first time that a major referendum had been held in any region of the United Kingdom. The referendum was boycotted by nationalists and resulted in a conclusive victory for remaining in the UK. On a voter turnout of 58.7 percent, 98.9 percent voted to remain in the United Kingdom, meaning the outcome would not have been impacted without the boycott.