QUESTION IS KEY
A list as long as your arm as parties look to win ‘vital’ second ballot votes
The peach ballot paper for the Glasgow Region list vote is, quite literally, as long as your arm.
It contains 22 parties or independent candidates for who you can state your preference.
The list vote is the method that is supposed to balance out the support for each party and create a result that is more representative of the number of votes cast instead of winner takes all though the First Past the Post system used to count the constituency votes.
The counting system means more seats you win on the first ballot the fewer you will win on the second.
The SNP is looking for both votes and is on the paper with the description “Nicola Sturgeon for First Minister”.
Its lead candidate is Roza Salih, above inset, who if elected would become the first refugee to be an MSP.
Nicola Sturgeon is number two on the list but she is hoping to be elected through the Glasgow Southside seat.
While difficult it is not impossible to win all eight constituency seats and still get another on the list if enough people vote for a party.
The list system is the best chance Labour and the Conservatives have at this election of winning seats in Glasgow.
Labour won four in 2016 and the Tories two. They are both hoping to at least hold on to them.
Labour has current MSPs Pauline McNeill, bottom inset, at the top, and Anas Sarwar second, with former MP, Paul Sweeney, bottom left, and equalities campaigner, Pam Duncan-Glancy, third and fourth.
The Tories have Annie Wells, top left, their top candidate, looking to be re-elected and Sandesh Gulane who is looking to take over from Adam Tomkins as a city MSP. The Liberal Democrats have not had an MSP in Glasgow since 2011. The party is hoping to win enough support to get its lead candidate Carole Ford, top right, into Holyrood.
Most of the parties on the list are not available to vote for in any of the city’s eight constituency ballots, so they are hoping that people will vote for one of the main parties on the purple ballot paper and then for them on the peach one.
Like the constituency ballot there is a split on constitutional grounds with some of the parties existing purely because of their support for, or opposition to, independence and a second referendum.
The Alba Party, launched by former First Minister and SNP leader, Alex Salmond, is one of those.
It urges people to vote SNP on the first paper and Alba on the second.
A vote for Alba in Glasgow won’t help get Alex Salmond elected, he is not standing, and votes in Glasgow only count towards those named on the ballot paper. For Glasgow top of the Alba list is ex SNP councillor Michelle Ferns, bottom right.
Others that are pro independence are the Greens, who are standing in three Glasgow seats but who hope to hold the one Glasgow seat they have and possibly add to it.
Patrick Harvie of their list with is top councillor Kim Long number two should they get enough cotes to elect more than one Glasgow MSP.
Also in the pro independence camp are TUSC the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition whose lead candidate is Glasgow Unison rep, Brian Smith.
Scottish Renew is also in favour of a second referendum and has two candidates on its list. On the other side, there is the All for Unity party which opposes independence.
All for Unity is led by former Glasgow MP George Galloway. But he is not on the Glasgow list, instead standing in the South of Scotland.
Its reason for standing is to prevent an SNP or independence supporting majority and stop a second referendum.
Also Ukip, Reform UK and Abolish the Scottish Parliament are seeking votes from people opposed to independence.
Not all parties have independence or opposition to it as their reason for standing.
The Scottish Women’s Equality Party, the Freedom Alliance and the Scottish Family Party are all promoting other causes.
The Scottish Women’s Equality Party in its manifesto states: “We want to create a thriving Scotland which is socially just and environmentally safe”.
It also has pledges on fair employment, creating a care led recovery and tackling domestic abuse and violence towards women.
The other parties and candidates on the Glasgow region list ballot are Communist Party of Great Britain, Independent Green Voice, Scottish Libertarian Party, Social Democratic Party, Reclaim Party, and two independents Daniel Donaldson and Craig Ross.