Scottish local elections: How to register to vote in Glasgow, when is the election and where to vote

Next month, Glaswegians will take to the voting booths to choose who makes the big local decisions affecting the city.
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Whether you want more walking and cycling lanes in the city centre, are frustrated about the state of the bin collections and street cleaning, or just feel like the council needs some new leadership, the upcoming local elections is the time to make your vote count.

However, you can’t just head into any old polling station and tick a box. First, you need to make sure you are eligible to vote.

How do I register to vote?

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You need to be registered to vote by midnight on Monday, April 18, if you want to vote in the local elections.

To be able to register to vote, you need to be aged 14 or over, and either a: British citizen; Irish or EU citizen living in the UK; a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission; or a citizen of another country living in Scotland who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission.

people across the UK will be heading to the polls next monthpeople across the UK will be heading to the polls next month
people across the UK will be heading to the polls next month

When registering to vote, you’ll be asked for your National Insurance number (although you can register without one).

To register to vote, visit the Government website. To check if you are already registered, click HERE.

When is are the Scottish local elections?

The Glasgow City Council election is being held on May 5.

To find the full list of polling places, click HERE.

How does the voting system work?

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The local elections in Scotland use a Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. When you vote, you’ll choose not only your preferred candidate, but you rank candidates in order of preference.

When it comes to vote counting time, the number of votes needed to be elected is worked out by dividing the number of valid ballot papers by one more than the number of vacancies.

For example, if there are 3000 valid ballot papers and five vacancies, candidates will initially need 500 votes to be elected (3000 papers/five vacancies plus one).

If a candidate reaches that number they are elected. The ballot papers selecting them as their number one choice are then distributed to the second choice candidates. However, these are not worth a full vote.

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If no other candidate has enough votes to be elected, the one with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and their ballots are distributed to the second choice candidates.

This continues until all the vacancies are filled.

For more information on how the voting system works, click HERE.

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