About Count

At the Count all of the ballot papers – unused, spoiled and those in the ballot boxes are counted and reconciled. This will take place in Highland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston on Friday 8th May 2026 by around 1100 staff.

The Count involves important integrity checks to ensure that the whole process has been secure and can be trusted so that the Voter has confidence in the result.

There are two distinct stages to the counting process resulting in declarations of the results:

Verification of Ballot Boxes or “First Count: This is where the number of votes cast in each Constituency, for both the Constituency Contest and the Regional Contest, is established by counting how many papers are in the boxes.

The Counting of Votes or “Second Count”

The second stage of the Count separates the ballot papers and counts them by Candidate/Party and any Doubtful Papers.

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Meet The Team​

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Fran
Elections Operations Manager
Carolanne Eyre
Carolanne Eyre
Count administrator
Deirdre McKey
Deirdre McKey
Count administrator

Frequently Asked Questions

After reading the FAQ’s below if you have any other queries, please contact [email protected] or 07710 207188 or 07889 138313.

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If you have done leafleting, canvassing or in some other way actively supported the Scottish Parliament Election campaign, you can’t be employed in any capacity by the returning officer at this event.

If you are due to work on Friday 8 May 2026, yes you will need your current line manager’s permission before applying to work at this event.

If you are appointed to a post at the overnight unused ballot count then you will be entitled to special leave the next day. This is in line with the law on working time. You will be credited with the hours appropriate to your own standard day. All special leave is subject to your current line manager’s approval in advance. If for any reason you are unable to work as scheduled at the count then you must report to work as usual on the Friday. The names of any staff who call off or who do not report for work at the count post to which they have been appointed will be notified to departmental managers after the count for further investigation.

Staff who do not normally work on Fridays will not be entitled to any time off as there is no requirement for this under working time law.

If you are appointed to work at the Friday main count then you are not entitled to any time back.

No, the cost of releasing staff is paid for by the home department or school.

If you work for an agency and have an employee number then you will be able to apply to work at the Scottish Parliament Election count.

You will find it on your payslip.

No you can only accept one of these posts due to working time directives.

Yes you can accept a position at postal vote processing at the daytime sessions leading up to the main count but not at the overnight postal vote processing session on the day of poll due to working time regulations.

You can request to have your letter posted out by contacting [email protected]. Phone 07710 207188 or 07889 138313.

You must phone the Elections Office immediately on 07710 207188 or 07889 138313 to inform the Count team that you cannot work and the reason why.

Staff with recent experience working at an election count will usually be given priority although we will always also recruit some non-experienced staff.

You must phone the Elections Office immediately on 07710 207188 or 07889 138313 so we can appoint someone in your place. If you don’t do this we will contact you to find out the reason for your non-attendance and this will be reported to your departmental senior management after the election.

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  1. Log onto MyHR and select Time and Absences 
  2. Select Add Absence
  3. Select Absence type as paid leave
  4. Under Dates – enter start date, duration full day
  5. Under Details – select reason as Election Duties

In the advert to staff we said that if you hadn’t had an emailed letter or been contacted by phone by 1 May you will not have been successful on this occasion. However, as some positions will become available right up to the night of the election count, we sometimes have to phone people to offer them a position at short notice. Due to the volume of staff recruited, letters of appointment will be sent out in batches so count staff will hear at different times.

You must bring suitable photo ID to the count and ask for assistance at the count assistant helpdesk from a member of the Elections team who will have your name on a list for entry. Suitable photo ID will be a photo driving licence, workplace ID card, bus pass or passport. If you don’t have any photo ID an original payslip from the City of Edinburgh Council would be acceptable.

Yes there is plenty of parking available and staff are encouraged to car share where possible.

No, you cannot claim mileage or other travelling expenses.

Yes free buses will be provided to and from the city centre on Friday 8 May – you will be asked to express an interest in this on the application form. Find out about getting to and from the count.

If you are employed as a count assistant, when you arrive at the count assistant reception you will be given a coloured card which tells you which table to report to and in which constituency. If you arrive at reception with your friend you can ask to be given cards for the same table if available. All other staff roles will be pre-allocated to a count area shown in their letter of appointment so should not pick up a coloured card at reception.

You will be given a bottle of water at your counting table. There will be a short break during the count when sandwiches and soft drinks will be provided. There will be a selection of sandwiches including vegetarian. If you require a special dietary snack you must advise the Elections Office before the event on your application form.

The count is likely to finish early evening but we cannot be certain of this. We hope it will be by 6.30pm but we cannot say when for sure as recounts may be required. Please note that you must remain in your place until given leave to go, otherwise you will not be paid.

Payment will be made directly to the bank account that you noted when submitting your bank details in your online application by the end of June. Your payslip will be sent to your home address (online payslips will not be available). Please note that relevant tax codes will be applied to all payments by HMRC, in line with the tax information you provided in the form with your acceptance. For any coding queries or issues please liaise direct with HMRC thereafter.

Yes, if you are appointed to work at the count you will be working for the Returning Officer and not for the Council. New pay rules mean we have to send you a P45 at the end of this job. The P45 applies to your work at the count and does not affect your normal job(s) with the Council. You should keep your P45 with your other important documents.