2026 Scottish Parliament Elections
Scottish Parliamentary Elections - 7 May 2026
Scotland will go to the polls on Thursday 7 May 2026 to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). MSPs are elected through two voting systems:
- 73 constituency MSPs are elected using First Past the Post
- 56 regional MSPs are elected using the regional party list system
The Electoral Commission explains how MSPs are elected and what they do
Midlothian constituencies
Following the review of Scottish Parliament boundaries, which finished in 2025, Midlothian is covered by two constituencies:
- Midlothian North
- Midlothian South, Lauderdale & Tweeddale Constituency
Our Chief Executive is the Returning Officer for:
- Midlothian North
The Midlothian North count will take place on Friday 8 May 2026 at the Lasswade Centre, Bonnyrigg, EH19 2NE.
The Notice of Election will be published on Monday 16 March.
Register to vote
If you are 16 or over on the day of the election and live in Scotland, you can vote. You need to register by Monday 20 April for the Scottish Parliament election.
If you change your name, address or nationality, you will need to register to vote again – even if you are already registered.
Voting by post or proxy
If you cannot get to the polling station on polling day you can apply to vote by post or vote by proxy.
- The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April.
- The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
How to vote
To vote place a cross (X) against the candidate of your choice on the constituency (lilac) ballot paper and a cross (X) against your party or individual candidate of choice on the regional list (peach) ballot paper. Voters in Scotland do not need to show photo ID at Scottish Parliament elections or at council elections