Deadlines to register to vote and for postal and proxy applications are approaching, with voters warned not to miss their chance to have their say.
Anyone who has never register to vote before, or has moved house or changed their name recently, needs to register to vote by 20 April 2026.
New postal vote and postal proxy applications need to be submitted by 5pm on 21 April 2026 and proxy vote applications by 5pm on 28 April 2026.
The Scottish Parliament election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, with the count taking place at Braehead Arena on Friday 8 May 2026.
Alan Russell, Returning Officer and Renfrewshire Council Chief Executive said:
If you don’t want to miss your chance to vote in the forthcoming election then please ensure that you are registered to vote by the deadline of 20 April.
In addition, if voting by post or proxy suits you better then the deadlines are 21 April and 28 April respectively, but if you miss these then you will need to vote in-person on the day.
Please apply as soon as possible to guarantee everything is in place to allow you to cast your vote in this important election on 7 May.
Following a review by Boundary Scotland, two constituencies have been renamed with Paisley now being joined by Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley and Renfrewshire North and Cardonald – with the latter reflecting the addition of Cardonald to within Renfrewshire’s electoral boundary.
Therefore, three constituencies will be contested in Renfrewshire – Paisley, Renfrewshire North and Cardonald, and Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley – with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm.
There are a number of other changes to polling districts, numbering and polling places, but any change will be outlined on voters' poll letters and the majority of voters should notice no change other than the name of their constituency.
To find out more about how to vote in the forthcoming election, visit the council website at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/SPE2026.