Election 2026: could you work at a Polling Place or the East Lothian count?

Scottish Parliament Elections will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026. The elections team is currently looking for notes of interest from any staff aged 18 or over who would like to work at either a poling place or the election count.

Employees will need their manager’s authorisation to release them for the day(s) - you do not need to take annual leave or flexi to work at the election. 

Polling day – Thursday 7 May 

The role of the polling place team is to ensure voters can cast their vote in secret, free from influence and in a calm atmosphere. 

Training is mandatory for all poll staff; online training to be completed at a time convenient to you and a briefing session via Teams. New poll staff will be given additional in-person training

 Read more about the poll staff roles.

Count - Friday 8 May

The count will take place, during the day, on Friday 8 May, therefore, with manager’s approval, it will be possible to work on both polling day and the count

Contact elections team

Please contact elections team to register your interest: elections@eastlothian.gov.uk. The team will be in touch with you in early January with a form to complete with approval from your manager

External staff will also have the opportunity to apply to work on polling day, further details are available from our website.