Scottish Parliamentary by-election - Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse - Thursday 5 June 2025
Accessibility at the polling stations
Everyone should be able to register and cast their vote without facing barriers. They should be able to vote on their own and in secret.
Accessing the polling station
- All polling stations are visited and assessed in advance in terms of accessibility
- Temporary ramps are put in place to support access for voters who use a wheelchair or have difficulty using steps
- Where possible polling stations are identified which have car parking provision so that disabled voters may park as close as possible to the polling station
Assistance for Voters
Polling station staff will always look to provide support to disabled voters to enable them to cast their vote. A disabled voter may also be assisted by a companion, with the permission of the person in charge of the polling station, known as the Presiding Officer. Polling staff are trained in how to support voters to enable them to cast their vote.
You can also ask the Presiding Officer to offer additional assistance to allow you to complete your ballot paper. Presiding Officers are legally bound by the Requirement for Secrecy and your vote would remain secret.
Information for voters
To help voters understand the voting process and how to mark their ballot paper the following are provided at each polling station:
Notices inside the polling station, and at polling booths, providing instructions on how to vote at the election
Large print sample copies of the ballot paper displayed inside the polling station to assist voters who are partially sighted and also voters who would like some time to look at the ballot paper before entering the polling booth
An enlarged hand-held copy of the ballot paper. This can be given to voters who are partially sighted to take into the polling booth for reference when marking their ballot paper
Support within the polling station
Polling stations will have the following equipment and support in place:
- Chairs or seating for voters who cannot stand for long periods
- Magnifiers to increase the size of the text on a document
- Tactile voting device to support those visually impaired to mark their vote on the ballot paper in the correct place
- Polling booth at wheelchair level to ensure voters who use a wheelchair are able to access a lower writing surface and cast their vote in secret in a booth that is accessible
- Badges which clearly identify polling station staff who can assist
- Pencil grips are available for voters with dexterity impairments, these make pencils more easy to hold
- Additional staff to assist voters where needed
- Staff at the polling stations are there to help if you are unsure how to complete your ballot paper
In addition to the above, the Counting Returning Officer also allows voters with disabilities to use any text-to-speech apps, torch or magnifier that they have on their phone, to assist them in reading their ballot paper.
As shown in this film, for some elections you use a cross (X) and others use numbers. For this by-election for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency a voter should mark a cross (X) on their ballot paper next to their choice.
Non-English speakers
The ballot paper cannot be printed in languages other than English. However, there are guidance notes in other languages. These will be available in the polling station.
Registration and postal voting leaflets are available to order in a number of different languages from the Electoral Commission website.
Get in touch
To ask for a reasonable adjustment at your polling station, share ideas or provide feedback you can send us an email at elections@southlanarkshire.gov.uk