With the Scottish Parliamentary Elections and a UK-wide referendum on Thursday 5 May The City of Edinburgh Council is reminding voters what they need to know to have their say on polling day.
- Polling stations will be open from 7am – 10pm. You should have received a card with details of your local polling station. If not, please call 344 2500.
- When voting at a polling station, it’s helpful to take your poll card with you. But if you don’t have it, don’t let that stop you – you can still vote.
- Polling station staff will give you ballot papers for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections and, if you are eligible to vote in the UK-wide referendum, a ballot paper for that too. Staff will not be able to give you ballot papers after 10pm, so do arrive in good time. Polling stations open at 7am so you have plenty of time to cast your vote.
- The referendum is on the voting system used for elections to the UK Parliament . The question being put to voters on Thursday 5 May is: “At present, the UK uses the ’first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?”
- Explanations of these voting systems are available at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk and every household should have received a booklet about the referendum. You can order another copy of the Electoral Commission public information booklet on 0800 3 280 280. Staff will not be able to provide this information at polling stations.
- If you applied for a postal vote, it needs to be received by the Returning Officer before 10pm on Thursday 5 May. If you have left it too late to post back, you can drop it off at a polling station in your constituency, at the City Chambers on the High Street or to reception at the Council Headquarters on East Market Street.
The Edinburgh Reporter will be at the count and we look forward to bringing you the news as it happens from the Highland Hall at Ingliston where the counting of all votes is done and the declarations will be made.
