No overnight count for 2026 Holyrood election

There will be no overnight count for the Scottish Parliament election next May, it has been announced.

The election will take place on Thursday 7 May, but the ballot boxes will not be opened until the morning of Friday 8 May for counting to begin.

This expectation is that all results will be declared on the Friday, barring unforeseen issues.

The decision has been made by the Electoral Management Board (EMB), which managers the delivery of elections, with agreement from political parties and MSPs.

It said moving to a daytime count would improve public engagement with results, as well as reducing risks.

Malcolm Burr, convener of the EMB, said: “Counting during the day allows the use of well-rested staff with quick access to more resources, people and support facilities. Our counts are always accurate but working in the day removes some risks, reduces costs and lets us declare the results when more people are engaged.”

At the last election in 2021, counting was also moved to the daytime and staggered to ensure proper Covid safety measures could be followed. The final result was not known until the Saturday.

On the Friday, 48 out of the parliament’s 73 constituency seats were announced. The remaining 25 constituency seats and all regional seats were confirmed the following day.

Daytime counts have been standard for local government election results.

The EMB has also published its timetable for the running of the election, including confirming the deadline for candidate nominations will be 1 April.

This election will also take place under new boundaries, as adjusted in line with Boundaries Scotland recommendations.