By-Election allows insight into what a 2021 Holyrood election with covid measures would look like

With the Scottish Parliament election set to take place in May next year, it's not impossible we could see arrangements for polling stations and counts to allow for Covid-safe environments.

Aberdeenshire Council chiefs hope the methods put into action for the Ellon & District By-Election will act as a trial for how it would work with larger scale elections.

Measures work in a similar way to in a supermarket. There will be limits to the amount of people allowed in a polling station at a time, face masks and social distancing will be used, there is plenty hand sanitizer available and staff are separated from voters via plastic glass.

One unique part of voting is that voters will need a pencil to mark their ballot, so dispensers are filled with small pencils which will be disposed of after usage by the voter.

Council Chief Executive Jim Savege said:

"May next year is not too far away in the grand scheme of things."

"It does give us an opportunity to test how polling stations and the count, and the whole process will work - here on a smaller scale"

"We are already planning to think about what we need to do and how we need to manage matters for the next election as well"

"I never want a vacancy, you always want a full compliment of Councillors, but this does give us that opportunity to test things"