Polling day looms in Council Elections

Polling takes place tomorrow (Thursday) in elections to elect 80 councillors to serve on The Highland Council for the next five years. A total of 170 candidates are seeking election.  There are 14 four-member wards and 8 three-member wards. 

271 polling stations throughout the Highlands will be open between 7 am and 10 pm. 

Already 15,963 postal votes have been received. This represents a 58.5% turnout of postal voters as 27,272 people applied to vote in this way.  The Highland electorate is 176,226. 

Voters are reminded that in filling in their ballot papers they should use numbers against the name of candidates in order of choice, using 1, 2, 3 and so on – and not a cross. 

Voters can make as many or as few choices as they wish.  They don’t have to number every candidate.  As long as the voter numbers at least one candidate, their vote will be counted.  If a voter makes a mistake on their ballot paper, they can ask for a new one. 

The count of all votes cast in the 22 Council wards (14 four-member and 8 three-member) will take place at Inverness Leisure,  Bught Lane, Inverness, on Friday 4 May.  Ballot boxes will be opened from 8 am and scanning will commence at 9 am. Results are expected between 10 am and 3 pm.

The system being used to count the votes is the Single Transferable Vote. The ballot paper lists the name of each candidate. To be elected a candidate must reach a set amount of votes known as the quota.  The votes are counted in stages.  In the first stage, only first preferences are counted.  Anyone who reaches the quota is elected. Any votes received over the quota are not needed by the elected candidate and so are transferred to the second preference.  If not enough candidates have reached the quota, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and all of their votes are passed to the next preference on the ballot papers.   This process is repeated until three or four candidates have been elected.

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