Scottish Parliament elections, 7 May 2026
See results from the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026
The next election for the Scottish Parliament will be held on Thursday 7 May 2026.
There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). This is made up of 73 constituency MSPs and 56 regional MSPs.
You are represented by a constituency MSP and seven regional MSPs.
There are two constituencies in the Dumfries and Galloway area:
Both constituencies are in South Scotland region – Boundaries Scotland.
The South Scotland Region includes Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Clydesdale, Dumfriesshire, East Kilbride, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Galloway and West Dumfries, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Kilmarnock and Irvine Vally, Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.
If you are unsure which constituency you are in, search using the Boundaries Scotland lookup service.
Register to vote in the Scottish Parliament election
You must be 16 or older to vote in this election.
To vote in this election, you must register by midnight on Monday 20 April 2026.
For additional help preparing to vote, the Electoral Commission has published a voting guide including accessible versions and translations.
Guide to voting in the Scottish Parliament election
Vote by post or by proxy
Instead of voting in person, you can apply for an absent vote. This means voting by post or by proxy (someone votes for you).
Postal and proxy application deadlines
For postal and proxy voting you must:
- be registered to vote by midnight on Monday 20 April 2026
- apply for a new postal vote (including postal proxy votes) or apply for a change to an existing postal or proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026
- apply for a new proxy vote (not postal proxy or emergency proxies) by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026
- apply for an emergency proxy by 5pm on Thursday 7 May 2026
Delivery of poll cards and postal votes
If required:
- poll cards will be issued on 18 March, 8 April and 27 April
- postal votes will be issued on 15 April, 17 April and 27 April
We anticipate delivery to voters to be within 2 days of being issued.
Only electors who are already registered as postal voters on 25 March 2026 will be included in the first issue of postal ballot packs.
If you apply after this date, or if your application is approved after this date, your postal ballot pack will be issued during one of the supplementary issue dates.
If you expect to be away when postal ballot packs are being delivered, you can provide an alternative delivery address in the 'ballot paper address' section of your application.
Alternatively, you may wish to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.
Election day and results
Polling will take place between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Results for the Dumfries and Galloway constituencies and the South Scotland region are expected to be announced on Friday 8 May 2026.
The formal notice of election will be published on Monday 16 March 2026.
Accessibility in polling stations
Go to accessibility in polling stations