Scottish Parliamentary Elections
Scotland is scheduled to hold its next parliamentary election on 7 May 2026, choosing all 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament. Of these, 73 are chosen as constituency representatives through the first‑past‑the‑post system, while the remaining 56 are elected as regional members through a party‑list method.
There are 3 Parliamentary Constituencies in the Highland Council area. You can currently vote to return a constituency MSP for:
and List MSP's for the Highlands and Islands Region. The Highlands and Islands Region comprises: Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Shetland, Orkney and Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar.
If you are unsure which constituency you are in, you can look this up using the Boundaries Scotland lookup service.
Polling will take place between 7:00am and 10:00pm on Thursday, 7 May 2026, with the result for the Highland Council Constituencies and Highlands and Islands Region expected to be announced on Friday, 8 May 2026.
The Notice of Election will be published on Monday, 16 March 2026. The nomination period will start on Tuesday, 17 March and end on Wednesday, 1 April 2026.
An in‑person pre‑nomination briefing will take place on Monday, 23 February 2026 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the Highland Council Chamber, Glenurquhart Road, IV3 5NX, Inverness. The session will cover everything required to complete and submit nomination papers, including Constituency and Regional documentation, along with key information about the upcoming election. If you are interested to attend, please drop us an email at election@highland.gov.uk.
Nomination Guidance for Scottish Parliament
Other Important Information
- Timetable
- Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Scottish Parliament elections | Electoral Commission
- Access to Elected Office Fund
- EMB Count Directions Press Release
- EMB Directions for the Delivery of 2026 Scottish Parliament Election
We will continue to publish information as it becomes available.