Accessible Voting support at the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Election

To help support every voter to vote independently and in secret, there is a range of assistance on offer at all of our polling stations for people with additional needs.

If you need any assistance or support at any stage, please ask our polling staff who can be identified by the badges they are wearing which tell you their name and role within the polling station. They will be happy to help or answer any questions you might have about the voting process.

There will also be equipment – such as pencil grips - to assist you to vote independently available in the polling station.

For visually impaired voters there are:

• Large print posters of ballot papers displayed in the polling station 
• Large-print versions of the ballot papers
• Large print handheld sample copy of the ballot papers, which can be taken into the polling booth
• A magnifying glass
• A new tactile ballot paper overlay which fits exactly on top of the ballot paper and includes cut-out sections which align with the voting boxes. They also include the word ‘TOP’ written in embossed writing and braille, a cutout corner for orientation, and embossed numbers with braille beside the voting boxes. The overlay is designed to be used in conjunction with an audio recording of the ballot paper.

You can listen to the recordings while you are in the polling station on your own device prior to taking your ballot papers into the booth, or a member of the polling staff can play it for you. Your vote will always remain anonymous.

You may find it beneficial to listen to the recordings in advance of attending the polling station.

The audio ballot papers can be accessed below.

One audio recording is for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency ballot paper and the other is for the West Scotland Region ballot paper. 

The audio recording will enable voters to hear the list of candidates and parties. The audio recordings should be used in conjunction with the ballot paper overlay and allow the voter to hear which candidate/party is lined up with which numbered box and navigate to the correct box using the embossed and braille numbers alongside them.

For the Clydebank and Milngavie Constituency Text and Audio of Ballot Paper go to the West Dunbartonshire Council website.

Voters are also welcome to use their own assistive aids, such as video magnifiers, inside the polling booth to cast their vote. 

All of our polling stations are wheelchair friendly and have low level polling booths.

The ballot box will be on a chair, instead of a table, to make it easier to insert ballot papers.

There will also be seating provided at all of our polling stations for individuals who are unable to stand for long periods.

If you have a disability and need help to cast your vote you can take a companion with you to the polling station or you can ask the presiding officer at the polling station for help.