LANDMARK

Irish Voters to Decide on Gay Marriage

In historic referendum.

Irish voters are heading to the polls Friday for a historic referendum asking whether to legalize gay marriage. The landmark result is expected Saturday after more than 3 million voters in Ireland’s 43 constituencies cast their ballots. The predominantly Catholic nation, where homosexual acts were still illegal until 1993, would become the first nation to legalize gay marriage through a national plebiscite. The Fine Gael-Labour government said they were confident voters would approve the referendum, adding that an additional 68,000 people of voting age have registered in recent weeks. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny called on Ireland to vote yes “for love and for equality” in his last televised interview before pollling stations opened.