Running electoral registration - Scotland

Any elector due to provide a new signature in 2026 for their permanent postal or proxy voting arrangement at Scottish Parliamentary and/or local council elections, will not be required to do so until 2027.1

Electors who have a proxy voting arrangement for UK Parliamentary elections who are due to supply new signatures in 2026 are unaffected by the postponement.

Absent voters will lose their entitlement to vote by proxy at UK Parliamentary elections if no response is received within six weeks of the original notice being sent.2  

The six-week period is calculated from the date the notice is sent to absent voters. You should therefore date the notice on the day you expect to send it. 

The entitlement would be lost on the last day of the six-week period following the date the notice is sent. Where the end of the six-week period falls on a non-working day, the deadline is extended to the next working day.

After three weeks of the date of the original notice, if no reply is received, a reminder notice needs to be sent to the voter.3 In this instance, the three weeks are inclusive, i.e. voters have a full three weeks to complete the notice and for it to arrive back at the ERO’s office before a reminder should be sent.