Polling Places - Scotland

A ‘polling place’ is defined as the building or area in which a polling station will be located. A ‘polling station’ is the room or area within the polling place where voting takes place. Unlike polling districts and polling places which are fixed by the local authority, polling stations are chosen by the (Acting) Returning Officer for the election.

The Representation of the People Act 1983 places a duty on LA to divide the local authority area into polling districts based on ward boundaries, and to designate a polling place for each district. LAs also have a duty to keep these polling arrangements under review. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced amendments to the 1983 Act (which in turn has been superseded by The Electoral Administration Act 2013). Now local authorities must conduct a full review (with public consultation) of its polling districts and polling places every four years, however adjustments to the boundaries of polling districts and the designation of polling places within LA wards can be proposed at any time in response to changes in ward boundaries or to the availability of premises that can be reasonably designated as polling places.

‘投票场所’被界定为设置投票站的建筑或区域。‘投票站’则指位于投票场所内的房间或区域，此处为投票活动所在地。与由地方当局确定的投票区和投票场所不同，投票站由（代理）返回官员在选举中选定。1983年《选民代表法》规定地方当局有责任根据选区边界将地方当局区域划分为投票区，并为每个区域指定投票场所。地方当局亦负有对投票安排进行持续审查的义务。2006年《选举管理法》对1983年法案进行了修订（该法案随后被2013年《选举管理法》所取代）。现地方当局必须每四年对投票区和投票场所进行一次全面审查（包括公众咨询），然而，在选区边界变化或可合理指定为投票场所的场所可用性发生变化的情况下，可随时提出对投票区边界进行调整或对地方当局选区内投票场所的指定进行更改。