• Eligible citizens can register to vote up to 11 working days before the election - 18th April.

• The last day for applying for a postal vote is now 11 working days before the election - 18th April

• The number of wards have been reduced from 29 to 8.

• 5 wards will have 4 members and three wards will have 3 members so there will be 29 Councillors.

• Postal voters will receive a postal voters poll card.

• There will be information officers in many polling stations.

• Voters will cast two votes on the Scottish Parliament ballot paper - one for the Constituency Candidate and one for the Regional List.

• Voters can express preferences for as few or as many candidates as they wish i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc on the Local Ballot Paper.  They must use numbers not crosses.

• Ballot papers will be 14 inches long and must be put in the correct box, unfolded face down

• The Scottish Parliament paper should be put in the black box and the Local Paper in the white box

• Ballot papers have a security mark printed on them so won't be stamped by the Presiding Officer

• The minimum age for candidates has been reduced to 18

• There will be no counterfoils for the book of ballot papers.  The Presiding Officer will write the elector number on a document called the corresponding numbers list

• This document is sealed up in a packet at the close of poll and can only be reopened by order of a Sheriff