Commentary on Sections Postal voting arrangements Section 3: Closing date for application to vote by post or amend existing absent vote arrangements
8.The effect of section 3 is to bring forward the deadline for applications for a postal vote for the 2021 election to the twenty-first day before the polling day (for the election held on 6 May, this would mean the deadline is expected to be 6 April). Under paragraph 9 of schedule 3 of the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015 (S.S.I. 2015/425) (“the 2015 Order”) the deadline is normally the eleventh day before the polling day. The purpose of this provision is to allow for more time to process what is expected will be a much higher number of applications than usual due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
9.Subsection (5) allows the Scottish Ministers to change the deadline by regulations – but under subsection (6) this can only be used to move the deadline closer to the polling day.