Scottish Parliament elections 2026 – guidance update

Guidance for Returning Officers

As set out in bulletin 372, we have now published our guidance and supporting resources for Returning Officers for the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026.  

The guidance has been published in our web-based HTML format and has been updated to reflect the new legislative provisions set out in the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025, and the Scottish Parliament (Elections) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025. We have worked closely with colleagues in the Scottish Government and the Electoral Management Board in the development of this guidance.  

In addition, we are finalising a set of animated guides to support those who want to participate in the election with the completion of nomination papers. These resources can be used to complement your briefings and local guidance to candidates, agents and parties and we will notify you through the Bulletin when they’re available.

We will shortly be seeking information from ROs for their ordering of polling station handbooks for May 2026. An order form link will be shared in December, you will need to finalise orders in January, for delivery in March 2026.

If you have any queries or need any further support, please contact the Scotland team at [email protected].  

Guidance for Candidates and Agents  

Our guidance for candidates and agents at a Scottish Parliament election has been updated to reflect the new provisions relating to candidate disqualification and dual mandates prohibiting an MSP from simultaneously holding a seat in the UK Parliament—whether as an MP or a Peer—or serving as a councillor. These provisions were set out in the Scottish Parliament (Disqualification of Members of the House of Commons) Regulations 2025, The Scottish Parliament (Disqualification of Members of the House of Lords) Regulations 2025 and The Scottish Parliament (Disqualification of Councillors) Regulations 2025. 

2025 canvass - information about collection of electoral registration data

As you know, each year the Commission collects electoral registration data from EROs following the annual canvass and the publication of the revised electoral registers. This data plays an important role in our reporting on electoral registration in Great Britain and helps us to demonstrate how canvass processes have been working in practice.  

We will be asking for the same canvass data as in 2024, which will be available in your EMS systems as usual.  

We will be in touch by email at the start of December to request the data and provide instructions on how to generate the report.

If you are planning to delay the publication of your revised register, please let us know at [email protected].   

We would like to thank you in advance for your support with this work and for the time taken to supply data to us.