Candidates who are standing in the Highlands and Islands Regional Elections may wish to look at the resources available on .
Completing your Nomination Papers
It is important that you complete your nomination papers accurately and follow the rules. To assist there are several resources that may assist, namely:
- Annotated nomination papers for constituency candidates
- provided by the Electoral Commission
Candidate Security
Police Scotland will be holding online candidate security briefings and have produced a number of documents to share with Candidates and Agents covering personal security guidance and good practice. The Returning Officer will share documents with all candidates validly nominated but if candidates or agents would welcome information in advance of submitting their nomination papers, please contact elections@argyll-bute.gov.uk to request these. Dates for the online candidate security briefings yet to take place are as follows:
- 30 March 2026 at 10am
- 1 April 2026 at 2pm
- 6 April 2026 at 10am
- 8 April 2026 at 2pm
- 15 April 2026 at 6pm
To received joining instructions for the online sessions, please contact elections@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Candidate Deposits
In order for you to be validly nominated as a Constituency Candidate or Individual Regional Candidate or Regional Party List Candidate, we need your completed nomination form and, you or someone acting on your behalf must deposit the sum of £500 with the Constituency Returning Officer by no later than 4pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026. Payment can be made by legal tender or by means of a banker’s draft from a drawer which carries on business as a banker in the United Kingdom. By prior agreement, the Returning Officer may also receive deposit payments by BACs transfer. Requests to pay deposits by BACs should be directed to elections@argyll-bute.gov.uk.
Access to Elected Office Fund
The is now open for applications for the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026 and for Scottish Parliament and local council by-elections.
The Access to Elected Office Fund (Scotland) is paid for by the Scottish Government and run by Inclusion Scotland.
The Fund helps disabled people who want to stand for elected office in Scotland. It gives money for practical support and reasonable adjustments to remove barriers for disabled candidates. This can include help with communication, transport, or personal assistance. The Fund does not cover general campaign costs.
In the 2022 Scottish local council elections, 46 people got support from the Fund. Of these, 22 were elected. The Fund also helped 14 candidates in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.
To apply for the fund or for more information, please contact Inclusion Scotland’s Civic Participation Team at: civicparticipation@inclusionscotland.org
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