Scotland has quietly redrawn part of the rulebook for council elections, with changes now locked in for polls from 6 May 2027 onwards. The Scottish Local Government Elections Amendment Order 2026 was made on 2 September, laid before the Scottish Parliament on 4 September and comes into force on 13 November 2026. (legislation.gov.uk) Most of the rules used at the May 2022 local elections stay in place. But this order still reaches into the nuts and bolts of how council democracy works: nomination papers, ballot paper wording, poll cards and the support disabled voters can expect at the booth. (legislation.gov.uk)

One change will matter straight away for anyone thinking of standing. If a candidate does not publish their home address, or if that address is outside Scotland, their home address form must now include a correspondence address in Scotland. The explanatory note says that address is only used and published if the candidate becomes their own election agent by default. (legislation.gov.uk) That is the sort of drafting point that sounds small until a campaign hits trouble. The policy note says the aim is to make sure there is always an address available for official election-agent communications, including cases where no agent has been properly appointed or an appointment falls away. (legislation.gov.uk)

The paperwork change also sits alongside a bigger shift already made in Scottish law. Section 2 of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025 amended the rules on who can stand in local government elections, and the policy note says Form 2 has been rewritten to reflect that revised wording. It states that foreign nationals aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and with any form of leave to remain, can stand as council candidates in Scotland. (legislation.gov.uk)

Voters will notice a separate change on the ballot paper itself. From the 2027 council elections, each candidate’s surname must appear first, followed by the forename, with a comma between the two. Form 4 has been updated to match. (legislation.gov.uk) According to the policy note, that clarification followed discussions among electoral administrators about how names appeared on UK parliamentary ballot papers at the July 2024 general election. Holyrood’s answer is a standard format intended to reduce confusion and make local ballot papers line up with the style already used at other Scottish elections. (legislation.gov.uk)

Returning officers are also being given clearer room to speak to voters in plain terms. The order allows official poll cards, postal poll cards and proxy poll cards to include extra information the returning officer considers appropriate, provided it is not about a candidate or a registered party. Different electors can also be sent different additional information where that makes sense. (legislation.gov.uk) The policy note says the issue arose during trials of a telephone line designed to read out candidate names for voters with sight issues. The Electoral Commission had raised concern that the old form did not give returning officers enough discretion to add practical information about what help might be available. (legislation.gov.uk)

The biggest real-world shift is on accessibility at the polling station. The old requirement for a specified device for blind and partially sighted voters is replaced with a broader duty to provide whatever equipment it is reasonable to provide so disabled people can vote independently and in secret. (legislation.gov.uk) That does not remove support already in place. The policy note says the Electoral Commission’s guidance for returning officers still includes tactile voting devices for visually impaired voters, but the overall intention is to give councils more scope as new equipment and better practice emerge. (legislation.gov.uk)

The Electoral Commission must issue guidance on that new duty, consult bodies representing disabled people before doing so, and returning officers must have regard to that guidance. The order also says guidance already prepared for Scottish Parliament elections can count here too, which should spare councils from duplicating work ahead of the 6 May 2027 local elections. (legislation.gov.uk) Forms 2 and 4 are replaced as part of the package, and the policy note says the order is not expected to bring significant extra cost for councils or business. It is not flashy legislation, but for candidates, council teams and voters alike it will help decide whether polling day feels clear, fair and usable. (legislation.gov.uk)