Scotland has confirmed a package of election rule changes that will apply to the next Holyrood contest in May 2026. Headline shifts include a 5pm polling‑day cut‑off for replacing lost or spoilt postal ballots and a new legal duty on returning officers to provide the equipment disabled voters actually need, with the Electoral Commission to issue guidance.

For voters, the practical changes are clear. If a postal pack goes missing or gets damaged, the deadline to get a replacement moves from 10pm to 5pm on polling day. Emergency proxy options are widened: carers accompanying someone for medical treatment can appoint a proxy up to 5pm, eligible prisoners can also apply until 5pm, and electors with an existing proxy can switch to a new one if the original can no longer attend in person.

Polling stations will look and feel different too. Instead of prescribing one tactile device, the law now requires “such equipment as is reasonable” to enable disabled voters to vote independently and in secret. The Scottish Government says this approach “mirrors changes made by the UK Parliament”, and the Electoral Commission must publish guidance that returning officers are expected to follow.

There is specific support for care‑experienced young people. The age ceiling for registering by a declaration of local connection rises to under 21, making it easier for looked‑after or formerly looked‑after young people without a settled address to stay on the register. Officials say the limit was set at 21 after consultation across government.

Rules around intimidation at elections have been tightened. The offence of undue influence has been modernised to capture a wider range of threatening or deceptive behaviour aimed at voters or proxies, bringing the statute into line with contemporary drafting and enforcement practice.

Campaign teams will notice finance tweaks. Clarified notional spending rules mean benefits in kind only count when used on a candidate’s behalf with their authorisation, and authorised third parties can both incur and pay for those costs directly rather than routing everything through the agent. Security‑related costs are also clarified, focusing on what is reasonably attributable to protecting people or property.

Timetables are being tightened. The Scottish Parliament’s dissolution period before a routine general election drops from 28 to 20 days, and new postponement powers allow the Presiding Officer to shift the polling date-initially by up to eight weeks, with scope for a further eight-after consulting the Electoral Commission and the Electoral Management Board. If a poll is moved, spending limits rise in step.

All of this lands after 7 May 2026. That lead‑in gives electoral administrators time to plan training and kit purchases, and gives campaigns-many of whom use suppliers across the North of England-time to revise their calendars and compliance checklists ahead of the next Holyrood race.

For readers in our patch who work over the Border-printers in Carlisle and Gateshead, venue managers in Berwick, third‑sector teams operating in Dumfries and the Borders-the takeaways are simple: treat 5pm on polling day as a hard stop for postal fixes, expect broader use of emergency proxies, and plan accessibility support around what voters actually need rather than a single device.

The direction of travel is practical and voter‑focused. Expect the Electoral Commission to publish detailed accessibility guidance for returning officers well before the 2026 campaign gets going. In the meantime, campaigners should schedule welfare‑friendly events, budget for access kit early, and make sure staff and volunteers understand the tighter deadlines.