1. An election is to be held for a Constituency Member to serve in the Scottish Parliament for the Falkirk West constituency.

2. Nomination papers can be obtained from the office of the Constituency Returning Officer at the Election Office, Falkirk Council (The Foundry), 4 Central Boulevard, Central Park, Larbert, FK5 4RU during the dates and times noted in paragraph 4 below.

3. Nomination papers can also be obtained from the Falkirk Council website or the Electoral Commission website.

4. Nomination papers must be delivered to the Constituency Returning Officer at the above address between the hours of 10am and 4pm on any working day after the date of this notice but no later than 4pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026.

5. If the election is contested the poll will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

6. Applications to register to vote must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 12 midnight on Monday 20 April 2026. Applications can be made on the Gov.uk website. 

7. A person shall be validly nominated as a candidate only once a sum of £500 is deposited by that person, or on that person's behalf, with the Constituency Returning Officer at the place and during the time of delivery of nomination papers.

8. The £500 deposit can only be paid by legal tender; by means of a banker’s draft from a drawer which carries on business as a banker in the United Kingdom, or by electronic transfer of funds by prior arrangement agreed with the Constituency Returning Officer (contact details below).

9. As payments made by electronic transfer may incur delays before cleared funds are received, it is essential that such payment is made in good time. Failure to do so may result in the payment not being received by the statutory deadline, in which case the nomination will not be valid.

10. Applications to be included on the register of electors or for postal or proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Glendevon House, Castle Business Park, Stirling FK9 4TZ, by the dates given below:

• Applications, amendments, or cancellation of postal votes (including proxy voters applying to vote by post) must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the address above by 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.
• Applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the address above by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.
• Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election can be made after the 28 April deadline, provided that they reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the address above by 5pm on Thursday 7 May 2026, on the following grounds:

  a disability was suffered after that deadline (or, for applicants who suffered a disability before the deadline, their disability meant that they could not reasonably have made an application in time);
  b. the need to accompany an individual to attend medical care or treatment arising after that deadline;
  c. being detained in a hospital under the civil sections of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 arising after that deadline;
  d. work/service reasons arising after that deadline;
  e. Scottish prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months or less arising after that deadline; or
  f. circumstances that mean the appointed proxy cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at the polling station arising after that deadline.

The attention of candidates and electors is drawn to the rules for filling up nomination papers and other provisions relating to nomination contained in The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015.

Every person guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice will, on conviction, be liable to the penalties imposed by the Representation of the People Act 1983.

All issues of postal ballot papers (except where a postal voter applies in person for a replacement for a spoilt or lost postal ballot paper) will be made by first class mail. A postal ballot paper may be returned either (a) by post or by hand to the Constituency Returning Officer or (b) by hand to a polling station in the relevant constituency. Any person intending to vote by post, who may be unable to deal with a postal ballot paper under the foregoing arrangements, should consider applying instead for appointment of a proxy.