IT’S make your mind up time for people across the country tomorrow.
Voters will elect the 129 MSPs who will represent them at Holyrood for the next five years.
If voting patterns continue, turnout is expected to be at its highest-ever point for a Scottish Parliament election. Last year saw a 71% turnout in Scotland for the UK General Election, compared to 63% in 2010.
This followed Scotland recording the country’s highest post-war voter turnout in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
The polls for the Scottish Parliament election are open from 7am until 10pm. In an emergency where people can’t go to the polling station in person, they can apply for an emergency proxy up to 5pm.
In Dundee, more than 250 staff will be on duty at 122 polling stations across the city.
When the polls close, 200 staff will be involved in counting the votes at Dundee International Sports Complex (DISC).
In Dundee City West, one nursery school and 10 primary schools are being used as polling stations, with one nursery and 11 primaries used in neighbouring Dundee East. Children at these schools have the day off.
In 2011, the two Dundee constituencies declared between 3am and 4am on Friday morning, with election staff expecting a similar time for results this year.
In the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election, both constituencies had just under 50% turnout. Last year, at the UK General Election, Dundee East and West had 71% and 68% turnouts respectively.
In Angus, meanwhile, 405 staff will be at 167 polling stations across the two constituencies in the county.
Fourteen of the stations are in schools, and eight of these will be closed. As in Dundee, pupils at the eight closed schools have the day off. There will be 140 staff members counting the votes at Arbroath’s Saltire Leisure Centre, where the successful candidates for Angus North and Mearns and Angus South will be announced. Election staff have predicted a result by 2.30am on Friday.
Voter turnout sat at 47.4% and 49.9% in Angus North and Mearns and Angus South in 2011.
At Westminster, the seat which encompasses the whole of Angus saw a 60.4% turnout last year.
Meanwhile, an army of 150 staff will cover the 48 polling stations in North East Fife.
Different from other constituencies, all council schools are closed for in-service.
There will be 210 staff on hand at the Michael Woods Leisure Centre in Glenrothes to tally up the votes from Kirkcaldy, North East Fife and Mid Fife, as well as the Mid Scotland and Fife regional count.
Turnout in the Scottish Parliament election in 2011 was 50.69% for North East Fife. In the Westminster seat of the same name, 73% of the electorate voted last year.
Although some schools are being used as polling stations, all schools will remain open to pupils.
In Perthshire North, there are 328 staff based at polling stations, with 190 set to count the votes at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth.
Staff have predicted the result of the vote to be announced around 3.30am.
In 2011, there was a 56.3% turnout in the constituency. Last year, 74.8% voted in the Perth and North Perthshire constituency for the General Election.