Scottish Parliament election – postal votes advice

Local electors are encouraged to return postal votes in plenty time for the Scottish Parliament election in May.

More than a third of the 17,668 people on the Electoral Register in Orkney have registered to vote by post – 6,098 in total (34.5%). The number of electors who’ve applied for a postal vote has gone up by 1,793 since December 2020.

Postal votes need to be returned by polling day – Thursday 6 May.

The advice to postal voters from the Election Team at Orkney Islands Council is to allow sufficient time for their voting packs to be received - and to factor in the public holiday on Monday 3 May, when no deliveries will be made.

Voters should take received time to ensure that the postal voting statement is filled in correctly. You need to:

• Sign the postal voting statement in the box provided for this.
• Enter your date of birth in the boxes provided.

Please check that you have entered your date of birth and NOT the date of signing.

Postal votes can also be handed in at polling stations on election day.

In addition, completed postal voting packs can be handed in at OIC Customer Services in Kirkwall during office hours on Thursday 6 May.

They can also be posted through the letterbox at the Council Offices in School Place at any time up to 22:00 (10pm) on Thursday 6 May.

Polling stations will be open between 07:00 (7am) and 22:00 (10pm) on election day.