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Scottish Parliament Notice of Election for the Bathgate Constituency

NOTICE OF ELECTION 

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION - 7 MAY 2026

BATHGATE CONSTITUENCY

An election is to be held for a Constituency Member to serve in the Scottish Parliament for the Bathgate Constituency. If the election is contested the poll will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026 between the hours of 7am and 10pm.

Nominations

Nomination papers and other forms may be downloaded from the council website  or the Electoral Commissions website (opens new window)

Should that not be possible they can be obtained from the office of the Constituency Returning Officer at The Election Office, Executive Wing, Second Floor, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6FF.

The Election Office is open for the issue and delivery of nomination papers on weekdays between 10am and 4pm from Tuesday 17 March 2026 until Wednesday 1 April 2026, both dates included. A prior appointment is preferred and can be arranged by contacting the Constituency Returning Officer by telephone on 01506 282035 or by email at: elections@westlothian.gov.uk (opens new window) 

The Constituency Returning Officer will, on request, prepare a nomination paper for signature.

Completed nomination papers and other forms must be delivered, not posted or emailed, to the Constituency Returning Officer at the Election Office by no later than 4pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026.

The rules about completing and delivering nomination papers and other forms are in the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015.

Deposit

Candidates must pay a deposit of £500. Payment will be accepted by legal tender in cash, or by means of a certified cheque or banker's draft (but only where the drawer carries on business as a banker in the UK), or by electronic transfer of funds to the Constituency Returning Officer's specified bank account.   

Voter registration

Applications to register to vote must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 12 midnight on Monday 20 April 2026.  Applications to register to vote can be made online. (opens new window)

Postal and proxy voting

Voters may apply for a postal or proxy vote. Proxy voting means someone else voting on behalf of a voter. For advice on postal or proxy voting contact the Electoral Registration Officer

Postal voting

Applications, amendments or cancellation of postal votes must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer at the address below by 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.

Any person intending to vote by post but who may be unable to deal timeously with a postal ballot paper should consider applying instead for a proxy vote.

The issuing of postal ballot papers will start around 16 April 2026 but, depending on the date of application, may not be completed until around 27 April 2026. They will be issued by first class post (except where a replacement for a spoilt or lost postal ballot paper is applied for in person).

Voters given a postal vote will not be able to vote in person. However, a postal ballot paper may be returned before 10pm on Thursday 7 May 2026 by post or by hand to the Constituency Returning Officer at the Election Office, or by hand to any polling station for the constituency

Proxy voting

Voters given a proxy vote can still vote in person but only if their proxy has not already voted for them or obtained a postal vote for them.

Applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer at the address below by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.

Applications to amend or cancel existing proxy arrangements must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer at the address below by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.

Emergency proxy voting

After the deadline for applications for proxy votes, voters who cannot vote in person for specified reasons may apply for an emergency proxy vote. The specified reasons are:

  1. disability suffered after that deadline (or, for applicants who suffered a disability before the deadline, their disability meant that they could not reasonably have made an application in time)
  2. the need to accompany an individual to attend medical care or treatment arising after that deadline
  3. being detained in a hospital under the civil sections of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 arising after that deadline
  4. work/service reasons arising after that deadline
  5. Scottish prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months or less arising after that deadline
  6. circumstances that mean the appointed proxy cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at the polling station arising after that deadline.  

All emergency proxy applications must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer at the address below by 5pm on Thursday 7 May 2026.

Contact and further information

The Election Office is in the Executive Wing, Second Floor, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6FF, 01506 282035 (elections@westlothian.gov.uk (opens new window)

).

The address for the relevant Electoral Registration Officer, is 17A South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9FL. The relevant Electoral Registration Officer can be contacted by telephone on 0131 344 2500 and by email at:enquiries@lothian-vjb.gov.uk. The website is: www,lothian-vjb.gov.uk (opens new window)

More information on registration, voting, and polling can be found on the  Constituency Returning Officers website.

Every person guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice or other electoral offence will, on conviction, be liable to the penalties imposed under the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015.

Graham Hope

Constituency Returning Officer

West Lothian Civic Centre

Howden South Road

Livingston

EH54 6FF

Telephone: 01506 282035

E-mail: elections@westlothian.gov.uk (opens new window)

16 March 2026