Scottish Parliament Election - 7 May 2026
The Scottish Parliament Election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.
The Scottish Parliament has 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). If you live in Scotland, you are represented by eight MSPs:
- One MSP for the Orkney Islands Constituency
- Seven MSPs for the wider Highlands and Islands region
You will receive two ballot papers if you are registered to vote
How voting works
You will vote using:
- A lilac ballot paper to choose a person to be the Constituency MSP for Orkney islands
- A peach ballot paper to choose the list members for the Region.
For each ballot paper, place a single X in the box next to the candidate or party you want to vote for.
Orkney Islands is part of the Highlands and Island Region and the Regional results from the Constituency will be transmitted to the Regional Returning Officer who will aggregate the results for the Highlands and Islands Region and allocate the seats accordingly.
Oliver Reid is the Constituency Returning Officer for Orkney Islands and Derek Brown is the Regional Returning Officer for the Highlands and Islands Region.
The Highlands and Islands Region comprises of; Argyll and Bute; Caithness; Sutherland and Ross; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Inverness and Nairn; Moray; Orkney; Shetland; Sky, Lochaber and Badenoch.
When you can vote
Polling takes place on Thursday 7 May 2026 from 7am to 10pm
When will the results be counted
The count will begin at 9 am on Friday 8 May 2026 at The Pickaquoy Centre.
