Closing the poll: 10.00pm

Polling must close at 10.00pm, but any eligible electors who are in their polling station, or in a queue outside their polling place at 10pm for the purposes of voting (whether that queue is inside or continues on outside the polling station) must be allowed to vote.

If a person is in the polling station or in a queue outside the polling place by 10.00pm for the purposes of handing in a postal vote, they may do so after 10.00pm.

If you have a queue

Check the polling place regularly in the lead-up to the close of poll and take steps to ensure that as far as possible all waiting electors will be able to be issued with ballot papers by 10.00pm. If that is not possible, take steps to ensure that they will all be inside the polling station or in a queue outside the polling place for the purpose of voting by that time.

If you have a polling Assistant stationed at the front door, they will be allocated queue management duties by the Senior Presiding Officer, who may also request that your Day of Poll Inspector be in attendance to provide support.

It is important to maintain order. Timely, positive communication to anyone in a queue will be helpful in achieving this.

Please ensure that you keep any agents and observers informed.

In the event of a queue existing or building up in the lead-up to the close of poll let the elections team know immediately.

If there is more than one polling station in the building, check that anyone waiting to vote is at the correct polling station for their address.

  • Make sure nobody joins the queue after 10.00pm.
  • If there is a queue at 10.00pm and if the polling place can accommodate all the electors in the queue, ask electors to move inside the polling place and close the doors behind the last elector in the queue.
  • If the polling place is too small to accommodate all the electors in the queue, a member of the polling place team should mark the end of the queue by positioning themselves behind the last elector in the queue.
  • Anyone who is issued with a ballot paper must be allowed to vote.
  • Explain to anyone who arrives after 10.00pm and tries to join the queue advise them that the poll has closed and that, by law, they cannot be issued with a ballot paper.

There may be circumstances where the person marking the end of the queue or staff inside the polling station are challenged by an elector who wishes to vote even though they arrived after 10.00pm. Such electors cannot be issued with a ballot paper under any circumstances.

Anyone who is not waiting to vote in a queue inside or outside the polling place at 10m must not be issued with a ballot paper or be allowed to hand in their postal vote.

Who can be in a polling place at the close of poll?

In addition to elections staff the following are permitted to be present at the close of poll:

  • the candidates – except that only one candidate from a particular party list may be present inside a polling station at any given time
  • election agents
  • polling agents
  • police officers on duty at the polling station
  • representatives of the Electoral Commission
  • accredited observers

After the close of poll and the last person has voted the Presiding Officer must seal the slot of the ballot boxes. Any candidate, election agent or polling agent present may also affix their seal to them.

Candidates, election agents and polling agents are also entitled to be present when the paperwork is being completed and when the various packets of documents are sealed as described below. They are also entitled to affix their own seals to these packets at this time.

Closing the poll pictorial guide

In your blue crate you will find this step by step guide on how to successfully close the poll and where all the official documents and materials go at the end of the day of poll.

Good practice would be to start looking at this around 9pm – 9.30pm and whilst you cant pack anything away, you could place forms on tops of their corresponding envelopes ready for the poll closing at 10pm.

Close the poll training video

This video shows the closing of poll process from the recent Scottish Parliament election and is still useful for understanding the overall preparations and procedures. 

PLEASE NOTE: This election will be different. You be using tablets with electronic registers, including the corresponding number list and ballot paper account. Some of the processes shown in the video will therefore look different. 

Use the video to understand the overall closing process, but follow the instructions provided in your current training for using the tablet and completing the electronic records.