Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Scottish Parliament election

You are required to provide certain equipment and materials to polling stations and will need to plan this in advance to ensure that everything is in place for the delivery of polling station voting.

Summary of items to be provided to polling stations

You must provide polling stations with:1  

• separate ballot box(es) and seals for the constituency ballot papers and the regional ballot papers
• ballot papers (including tendered ballot papers)
• pens or pencils to enable voters to mark their ballot papers 
• polling booths
• the relevant part of the register
• absent voters lists – postal voters’, proxy voters’ and postal proxies lists
• form to record the details of electors who have been issued ballot papers after the correction of a clerical error (which may be appended to the polling station register)
• corresponding number list
• ballot paper accounts
• an enlarged sample copy of the ballot papers, for display inside the polling station
• an enlarged hand-held sample copy of the ballot papers to give to electors to take to a polling booth with them for reference
• a voting device for use by blind or partially sighted voters
• guidance for voters notice (to be displayed inside and outside every polling station)
• information for voters notices (to be displayed inside the polling booth)
• declaration by companions of voters with disabilities
• a list of tendered votes
• a list of votes marked by the Presiding Officer
• a statement of number of votes marked by the Presiding Officer
• a list of voters with disabilities assisted by companions
• packets, with seals, in which to place the items to be returned to you, such as postal ballot papers returned to the polling station, and for packaging the election documentation at close of poll
• at least one list showing the names of the candidates who appear on the list of each party at the regional contest followed by the names of the individual regional candidates as given on the statement of persons and parties nominated and in the order in which they appear on the statement
• the statement of persons nominated for the constituency contest and the statement of persons and parties nominated for the regional contest (to be printed in conspicuous characters and displayed inside and/or outside the polling station)
• any additional equipment you have determined necessary to make voting easier and more accessible for disabled voters e.g. badges identifying polling station staff

You must also make such arrangements as you think fit to ensure that staff, candidates and agents appointed to attend the station are provided with the relevant secrecy requirements.2

In addition, you should provide:

• envelopes, with seals, in which to place any ballot papers that have been issued but which the elector has not placed in the ballot box
• form or list to record electors marked as postal voters but who claim not to have applied for one
• notepaper for use by polling station staff
• stationery items as required, e.g. paper clips, drawing pins, adhesive tack, adhesive tape
• equipment for returning stationery and other equipment to the verification venue
• envelopes for making up assorted statutory packets

Where a polling station has an induction loop installed, it should be used wherever possible to support the accessibility of the electoral process to voters with hearing loss. Polling station staff would need to be trained on how to use these at the briefing session.

We have produced a template survey for polling station voters who required additional assistance when voting, which you may want to provide in polling stations. More information can be found in our guidance for Returning Officers on assistance with voting for disabled voters on reviewing the election.

You should check that all polling station equipment is fit for purpose and that you have sufficient quantities, particularly in the event of a high turnout.

You are required to provide separate ballot box(es) for the constituency ballot papers and for the regional ballot papers.3 Each ballot box should be clearly marked with the election to which it relates and the words place the [specify colour of the ballot papers in question] ballot paper here. It may be helpful to colour code the labels on the ballot boxes.

You will need to consider providing additional ballot boxes to Presiding Officers as one box for each of the constituency and regional contests may not be sufficient should there be a high turnout. All ballot boxes provided for use in polling stations must be sealed by polling station staff at the start of the poll.4

You should have prepared your polling station equipment and materials in good time before polling day, for either delivery to polling stations or collection by Presiding Officers.