Make Your Votes Count – Thursday 5th May 2011

Information about the Scottish Parliamentary Election and Referendum

on the voting system for the UK Government and how you can take part
in them.
The Scottish Parliamentary Election
Elections to the Scottish Parliament are held every four years. There are a total of 129
elected Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) - 73 of whom are constituency members
elected using the first-past-the post system. The remaining 56 are Regional Members who
are elected using the party list system. In the Falkirk Council area there are 112,365
registered electors as at 1st March 2011 in two parliamentary constituencies which are part
of the Central Scotland Region. The constituencies are: Falkirk East and Falkirk West. .

WHO CAN VOTE IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION?

You can vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election if you are registered to vote in Scotland,
are 18 or over on 5 May 2011 and are:

• a British citizen, or
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or
• a citizen of the Irish Republic.

British citizens living overseas can’t vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election. Citizens of
other European Union countries registered to vote in Scotland can vote in the Scottish
Parliamentary election.

HOW DO I VOTE IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION?

You will receive two ballot papers for the Scottish Parliamentary election. There will be a lilac
ballot paper to elect your constituency member and a peach ballot paper to elect your 7
regional members.

On the constituency ballot paper you vote by marking a cross (X) in the box opposite the
name of one candidate. The candidate with the most votes wins.

On the regional ballot paper you vote for a party or individual candidate to represent your
region. To vote, mark a cross (X) in the box opposite the name of one party or individual
candidate. The election of regional members is based broadly on the proportion of votes that
the parties (and individual regional candidates) receive.

PROPOSED REFERENDUM

A referendum asks you to vote yes or no to a proposal. For this proposed referendum, you
will receive a light grey ballot paper with this question.

At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of
Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used
instead?
HOW DO I VOTE IN THE UK REFERENDUM?

You show your choice by putting a cross (X) in the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ box on your ballot paper. Put
a cross in only one box or your vote will not be counted.

WHO CAN VOTE IN THE UK REFERENDUM?

You can vote in the proposed referendum if you are registered to vote in Scotland, are 18 or
over on 5 May 2011 and are:

• a British citizen, or
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or
• a citizen of the Irish Republic.

British citizens living overseas can vote in the proposed referendum. Citizens of other
European Union countries registered to vote in Scotland can’t vote in the proposed
referendum.

AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE?

To make sure you are registered to vote or if you need to apply for a postal vote contact the
Electoral Registration Office NOW. Poll Cards will be posted to all registered electors by the
end of March and you only have until 15th April to register in time to vote on May 5th.

Email Falkirk@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk or telephone 01786-892289 . Forms are available

in local libraries or can be downloaded from www.saa.gov.uk/central

WAYS OF VOTING

There are three ways of voting:

In person on 5 May: Most people vote in person at their polling place. It is straightforward
and a member of staff will always help if you are not sure what to do.
You will receive a poll card telling you where your polling place is. It is often a nearby school
or community centre. Polling places are open from 7am to 10pm. If you have not been
issued with a ballot paper by 10pm you won’t be able to vote, so make sure you arrive in
plenty of time.

By post: You can apply to vote by post. You will need to fill in an application form and send
it to arrive at your local electoral registration office by 5pm on Thursday 14 April. You can get
an application form in your local library or by telephoning 01786-892289 or emailing
Falkirk@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk. Ballot papers can be sent overseas, but you need to
think about whether you will have time to receive and return your ballot paper by Thursday 5
May. You should receive your ballot paper about a week before polling day. If it doesn’t
arrive, you can get a replacement up to 5pm on Thursday 5 May.

By proxy: If you can’t go to the polling station and don’t wish to vote by post, you may be
able to vote by proxy. This means allowing somebody you trust to vote on your behalf. You
will need to fill in an application form and send it to arrive at your local electoral registration
office to arrive by 5pm on Thursday 21 April. You can also get an application form posted to
you by telephoning 01786-892289 or emailing Falkirk@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk.
For local information about registration to vote:

Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)

Hillside House
Laurelhill Business Park
Stirling
FK7 9JQ
E-mail: Falkirk@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk
www.saa.gov.uk/central

For local information about the election and the election process

Election Office
Falkirk Council
Municipal Buildings
West Bridge Street
Falkirk
FK1 5RS

Tel: 01324 506111

E-mail: elections@falkirk.gov.uk
www.falkirk.gov.uk

For information on electoral matters:

The Electoral Commission

Scotland Office, 28 Thistle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EN.
Tel: 0131 225 0200
E-mail: infoscotland@electoralcommission.org.uk
www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Further information about voting:

www.aboutmyvote.co.uk