One of the Whig candidates was John Forster, a leading member of the party and a former Attorney General.
The Tory candidates enjoyed a great deal of popularity with the Catholic Jacobites in the city.
Traditionally the voting took place at the Blue Coat School on the north side of the River Liffey, but this time it was held at the Tholsel in the centre of the city, considered a stronghold of the Whigs.
Blame for the incident was eventually placed on James Cotter, a Catholic Jacobite from Cork.
The role of an associate of a leading Tory Constantine Phipps, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was also highlighted.