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Irish line up to vote on same-sex marriage

DUBLIN, Ireland - People lined up outside polling stations in Dublin on Friday as Ireland voted in a referendum on same-sex marriage, marking the first time a nationwide vote has been held on the issue.

DUBLIN, Ireland - People lined up outside polling stations in Dublin on Friday as Ireland voted in a referendum on same-sex marriage, marking the first time a nationwide vote has been held on the issue.

Lines formed in Dublin and Galway before polling stations opened at 7 a.m., and by 1 p.m. there was a turnout of 20 percent in parts of Dublin.

Turnout was reported to be about the same in rural areas, despite preelection fears that more people would vote in cities.

Results are expected Saturday.

"There's been queues of people trying to get their identification stamped in order to register to vote," Aodhan O'Riordain, Ireland's minister for equality, said as he cast his "yes" vote in Dublin.

"There's been packed-out meetings up and down the country," O'Riordain said. "There's been people wearing badges for months saying they're going to vote 'yes.' "

People may vote yes or no to an amendment to the constitution, which states, "Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex."

Just over 3.2 million people in the mainly Catholic country are entitled to vote, with more than 60,000 new voters registering in recent weeks.

In his final news conference before the referendum, Prime Minister Enda Kenny said that, as a Catholic, he has "no question about extending marriage rights to gay couples" and said the electorate has "nothing to fear by voting yes."

Fears have been raised by those opposed to same-sex marriage over surrogacy and children's rights to access to fathers.

Speaking on Vatican Radio on Thursday, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, urged Catholics to vote no.

Marriage had "its place in the construction of society, and changing the definition would have long-term consequences," Martin said. "Children have a right, where it's possible, to a mother and a father. A change in the Irish constitution would make that affirmation very, very hard to sustain in reality."

Recent opinion polls have suggested that same-sex marriage will pass, but turnout is expected to be crucial for the "yes" camp.

A much higher proportion of younger people are expected to vote yes than those 65 and older.