How to vote guide

POLLING booths will open across the region early on Thursday May 7 to elect the next batch of MSPs. The choice of who takes up the area’s two main seats in the Scottish Parliament for the next block belongs to voters aged 16 and over. And anyone wishing to vote who has not already signed up, should register by April 20 via Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Meanwhile, poll cards are already arriving at many households locally, featuring all the information that voters will will need, including directions to their nearest polling station. But do you know what to do on the day itself? Here’s our guide to voting in the Scottish Parliament elections: 1. Polling stations are open from 7 am to 10 pm and you must attend the one designated to you. You do not need photo ID. Other ways of voting are postal and by proxy, both of which should be set up beforehand with the council. 2. You will be voting in either the Dumfriesshire constituency, or the Galloway and West Dumfries seat, as well as in the larger electoral area of the South of Scotland. 3. You get two votes: one for your constituency and one for the area. The system used is a form of proportional representation called the Additional Member System (AMS). 4. On the constituency ballot paper, you are choosing who will represent your constituency and should therefore mark a cross in the box next to the name of your preferred candidate. 5. On the regional ballot paper, for the South of Scotland area, you need to choose either one party or one independent candidate, again by marking an X. 6. The only marks you make on both sheets should be crosses. Anything else will be classed as spoilt and your vote therefore will not be counted. 7. Watch out for the results on Friday May 8, via www.dng24.co.uk.