How Scottish Parliamentary Elections work
There are 129 elected members in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood:
- 73 constituency members
- 56 regional list members
Voting system
Scottish Parliament elections use the Additional Member System. Each voter has two votes:
- one vote to elect a constituency MSP using the first-past-the-post system
- one vote to elect regional representatives from a list of political parties and individual candidates
Representation
Everyone in Scotland is represented by 8 MSPs:
- one for their constituency (for example, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross)
- seven for the larger region in which they live (for example, Highlands and Islands)
Constituencies in Highland Council area
There are currently 3 Scottish Parliament constituencies in the Highland Council area:
- Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
- Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
- Inverness and Nairn
You also vote for list MSPs for the Highlands and Islands region.
Highlands and Islands region
The Highlands and Islands region includes:
- Argyll and Bute
- Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
- Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
- Inverness and Nairn
- Moray
- Shetland
- Orkney
- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Election dates
Scottish Parliament elections take place every four years.
- the last election was in May 2021
- the next election will be on 7 May 2026