Count on Cleland to deliver safe election
Covid precautions to the fore in poll preparations
South Lanarkshire Council aren’t expecting a “very significant” increase in postal voting for May’s Scottish Parliament elections.
In just five weeks, residents will go to the polls to decide their representatives at Holyrood in the four South Lanarkshire constituencies: Rutherglen, East Kilbride, Clydesdale and Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
Although an increase in postal voting is expected and planned for, returning officer for the four constituencies wholly within South Lanarkshire and chief executive of the council Cleland Sneddon wasn’t anticipating a huge shift in voter trends.
He said: “As returning officer, I’m not able to promote postal voting.
“I can, however, share the availability of it and I am doing that so people are aware that they can exercise their right to vote without coming to the polling station if they choose a postal vote.
“We’re planning for a very significant increase in postal votes but I don’t think it will be quite as big as that.”
After a year like no other before it, 2021’s vote will be an election like no other.
Some polling places have changed and additional polling stations are needed as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have a visible impact on the election.
Mr Sneddon added: “The logistics and planning of this is an enormous exercise because this will be different to any previous elections.
“We’ve had our election team working on this for a long period of time.
“We are taking the learning from Public Health Scotland, we’re taking the learning from by-elections – there have been quite a lot of by-elections in Scotland – and also international elections which have been run.
“In terms of the poll, it will be a oneday poll. The experience of coming to the polling station will look different with physical distancing, screens in front of staff and the levels of cleanliness.
“We would normally have a round-all with four quadrants in it so that will be two booths so you are either side of it. We will be using single-use pencils and all that type of stuff.”
After the poll on Thursday, May 6, counting will take place for two constituencies on Friday, May 7, and for the other two on Saturday, May 8.
Mr Sneddon continued: “The count will be the bit that I think candidates and agents will see the biggest difference in.
“We will have a two-day count. It won’t be over night like we used to.
“The physical capacity of both the John Wright Sports Centre and the bowling club next door will dictate the numbers of people who can be in there.
“The intention is to give the maximum number of agents, counting agents, etc the opportunity to observe.
“It is important that democracy is seen to be above board.
“Generally, there is quite a large number of guests that would get a guest pass from me because it is quite an event. Elections are quite exciting events.
“That will be substantially different this year. Substantially.
“I have written out to those who would normally get a guest pass to say actually this year it will be different.
“The overriding primary consideration for me is the safety of the electorate coming to a polling station, for the staff who work there, for the agents and candidates and the staff who do the count.”
Most people will still be able to vote at the same location they always have but there have been a few changes.
Mr Sneddon said: “There have only been four or five changes in terms of the physical location. Some properties have been damaged over the last year or so.
“For example, one had a bit of water ingress and it raised the floor and it’s a timber floor that we wouldn’t have time to replace.
“Each polling station, as opposed to polling places, will have a maximum of 800 voters.
“When you put that restriction on, you sometimes need more polling stations within a venue so it will have laid out some of these buildings slightly differently to accommodate an additional 34 or 35 polling stations.”
It is important that democracy is seen to be above board Cleland Sneddon