Have your say in the Scottish Parliament election
You can vote in person, by post or by proxy
Published: 5 March 2021
On Thursday 6 May 2021 residents in East Renfrewshire will go to the polls to have their say on who represents them in the Scottish Parliament.
Planning is already well underway to help you stay safe while casting your vote.
There are a number of ways to have your say in the election in May - you can vote in a polling station, by post, or by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf, which is known as a proxy vote.
Lorraine McMillan, Returning Officer for East Renfrewshire, said: The Scottish Parliament makes decisions that affect every aspect of our daily lives so it is important to make your voice heard in this election and have a say on who represents you. Arrangements are being put in place to help you stay safe at the polling station; you can expect many of the measures you've become used to in shops and banks over recent months, such as hand sanitiser, floor markings and face masks. But if you would prefer not to vote in person you also have the option to apply to vote by post or by proxy.
Due to a range of factors, including the impacts of delivering an election during the ongoing pandemic, a number of polling places in East Renfrewshire have been changed for the upcoming election.
With Carmichael Hall, in Giffnock, currently the venue of a Covid vaccination centre, those who usually vote there will instead go to St Ninian's High School. Netherlee Primary School is the alternative for Netherlee Pavilion, Mearns Primary is being used instead of Fairweather Hall and Eaglesham Primary is the alternative to Montgomerie Hall. All of these changes are needed due to the requirements to adhere to social distancing measures.
The requirement to now use these schools will not adversely impact pupils, as May 6 is a scheduled in-service day for all schools across East Renfrewshire.
For residents choosing to apply for a postal vote, the deadline for applications is 6 April at 5pm, and the deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 27 April at 5pm.
Forms can be downloaded from the Electoral Registration Office website and once completed these should be returned by email to ero@renfrewshire-vjb.gov.uk (in PDF or TIFF format) or posted to The Electoral Registration Officer, Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board, The Robertson Centre, 16 Glasgow Road, Paisley, PA1 3QF.
For more information about the elections on 6 May 2021, residents can go to our section. The page will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
