Postal voters urged to make their vote count
Postal voters in the Scottish Parliament Election are being reminded to make sure they return their votes in time and to read the instructions carefully when completing their pack to ensure their vote counts.
Packs will be issued in three stages with the final dispatch date being Monday April 27.
The pack will include two separate ballot papers.
Highland Local Constituencies
For the three Highland Constituencies of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross; Inverness and Nairn; Skye, Lochaber, Badenoch voters will receive a lilac-coloured ballot paper. On this ballot paper you vote for a candidate to represent your constituency. To vote, mark a cross (X) in the box opposite the name of one candidate.
Highlands and Islands Regional List
As well as returning a Member of the Scottish Parliament in their constituency, voters will be asked to complete a peach-coloured ballot paper. On this ballot paper you vote for a party or independent candidate to represent your region. To vote, mark a cross (X) in the box opposite the name of one party or independent candidate.
When voting by post voters also need to fill in a form accompanying their two ballot papers, giving their signature and date of birth.
As a security measure, these are matched against the signature and date of birth the voter provided when they applied to vote by post.
Completed postal votes need to be returned before polls close at 10pm on Thursday May 7. All packs will be dispatched in time for you to complete and return before this deadline but if for any reason a registered postal voter has not received their postal ballot pack they should phone the Highland election helpline on 01349 886657.
Candidates standing in Skye Lochaber and Badenoch are:
BAXTER, Andrew Phillip - Scottish Liberal Democrats
CRAWFORD, Helen - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
HANSLER, Laura - Alliance to Liberate Scotland
MCCAY, Isla - Scottish Labour Party
MUNRO, Eilidh - Scottish National Party (SNP)
WHITTON, Jon - Reform UK
Further information about the Scottish Parliamentary elections is on The Highland Council’s website at www.highland.gov.uk/spe2026.
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