11.52pm: No sign of any of the candidates yet. Meanwhile, the counters are assembled waiting for the first ballot boxes to arrive from polling stations across the region.
12.12am:
12.18am: Counting has begun with boxes in from across Dumfries
12.26 am: Returning officer Gavin Stevenson is confident his team will deliver the result ‘ahead of schedule’. He visited 20 local polling stations yesterday morning and praised the staff for doing a great job. He added: “Tonight there’s a great feel in the room, it’s very calm and relaxed at the moment.”
12.38am: There was a 53% voter turnout locally in the 2011 election – it’s expected to be higher this time.
12.52am: Party agents say their candidates won’t be arriving for a while.
1.15am: Dumfries Tory candidate Oliver Mundell has arrived at the Easterbrook Hall with his wife. Labour’s Elaine Murray has also turned up with her family.
1.23am:
1.35am: Galloway and West Dumfries Tory candidate Finlay Carson told us: “I fought a tough campaign and having gone round the room tonight there is still a positive feel. We usually do well in the rural areas, but Stranraer and Dumfries are ones to keep an eye on.”
3 am: Voter turnout for Dumfries and Galloway was 59.9 per cent, equal to 36,361. Galloway and West turnout was 59.4 per cent, equal to 33,458.
3.21am: SNP Dumfries candidate Joan McAlpine tells us she voted at 9.30 am and then spent the day canvassing in Upper Nithsdale.
3.25pm: It’s looking like a clear fight between the Tories and SNP in both regional constituencies
3.31am: Galloway and West Dumfries Labour candidate Fiona O’Donnell poses for our photographer
3.35am: Dumfriesshire candidates and agents have been called in for vote verification
3.40 am: The word on the street is we’ll have a result within the hour – yay!
5.40 am: Internet crashed at the crucial moment…D&G has gone blue with the election of Oliver Mundell and Finlay Carson – full story to follow!
