Covid-safe precautions taken at local polling stations

Elections 2021 voting safely 02

Ahead of Polling Day on Thursday, Shetland Islands Council has taken steps to make local polling stations as safe as possible for voters.

Across Shetland, 34 polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm to allow local voters to cast their votes for the Scottish Parliamentary Election.  Seven polling stations will be located in the main hall of the Clickimin Centre, for 3,837 voters in Lerwick, instead of at the usual Gilbertson Park Hall, while the smallest will be at the Uyeasound Public Hall in Unst with 95 voters.

Screens and hand sanitisers will be in place and there will be regular cleaning of polling booths.  Voters should wear a face mask and physical distancing requirements will be in place inside polling stations.   Clean pencils will be available for each person, although voters can take their own pencil or pen if they wish.  Staff will be on hand throughout the day to offer any assistance to voters.

Counting of ballot papers will take place during the day on Friday 7th May at the Clickimin Leisure Centre, starting at 9.30am.  Declaration of the result for the Shetland Islands Constituency is expected around 4pm, followed by public notice of the local results for the Highlands and Islands Region at around 5pm.

The total electorate for the Shetland constituency in this election is 18,134 registered voters, with 4,679 voters having chosen a postal vote option.

Jan Riise, Returning Officer for the Shetland Islands Constituency, said – “In the last 12 months or so, we’ve all become used to wearing masks, using hand sanitiser and keeping our distance from each other.  Polling day will be no different and we’ve done everything we can to ensure that voters in Shetland can cast their votes in safety.   I’d urge all those who are registered to vote to exercise their democratic right by casting their vote at their allocated polling station.”

Published: 4th May 2021