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  Scottish Elections 1 May 2003

Thursday/Friday 1/2 May will be an extremely busy time for council staff in administering the elections for The Highland Council and the Scottish Parliament.  It is estimated that 1,000 people will be involved in staffing the 360 polling stations and the various counts.

Polling for both elections will take place between 7.00 am – 10.00 pm on Thursday 1 May.  Within the polling station, the voter will be given three ballot papers.  An aquamarine ballot paper is to vote for the candidate of your choice in your Scottish Parliament Highland constituency (first past the post) election.  A peach paper is to vote for either the political party or the individual of your choice on the Highlands and Islands Regional List, through the additional member system – a form of proportional representation.  Voters are asked to vote only once on the peach paper.  There will be seven Scottish MPs elected in the Highlands and Islands area from the Regional List.  A white paper is to vote for the candidate of your choice in your local Highland Council election.

The counts for the three Highland constituency elections for the Scottish Parliament will be held overnight.  These will take place at:

·       the Sports Centre, Inverness (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber);
·       the Leisure Centre, Dingwall (Ross, Skye and Inverness West);
·       and the Assembly Rooms, Wick (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross).

The results for these three elections are due between 3.00 – 5.00 am on Friday 2 May.  The seven Additional Members for the Highlands and Islands will be announced at the Sports Centre, Inverness at approximately 7.00 am on Friday 2 May.

The counts for The Highland Council election will commence at 2.00 pm on Friday 2 May.  Results are expected between 3.00 – 6.00 pm.  The venues are:

·       Assembly Rooms, Wick;          
·       Golspie Community Centre;
·       Leisure Centre, Dingwall;              
·       Tigh na Sgire, Portree; 
·       Lochaber House, Fort William;  
·       Nairn Community Centre; 
·       Newtonmore Village Hall;               
·       and the Sports Centre, Inverness.

The first meeting of the new council will be on Thursday 15 May.