Elections 2021: As it happened - the final hours of campaigning

1. Political party leaders have made their final push for votes head of polling day on Thursday
2. It will be the biggest election across England, Scotland and Wales outside of a general election
3. Campaigning in West Yorkshire, Labour leader Keir Starmer said the party was "fighting for every vote"
4. Boris Johnson said Thursday's elections will "be very tough"
5. Voters in Scotland will elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament
6. The result of Scotland's election could determine the future of the union
7. Hartlepool will elect a new MP - the result will be seen as a test of Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer's leadership
8. Voters in Wales will elect the 60 members of the Welsh Senedd
9. In England, 143 local councils are up for election
10. And 39 Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales and 13 directly elected mayors in England will also be elected

Scotland's sanitised campaign masks the highest election stakes

Glenn Campbell

BBC Scotland Political Editor

The pandemic has produced a more sanitised election - less eventful, even a little dull at times.

There have been some memorable moments. Alex Salmond setting up the Alba party. Nicola Sturgeon conceding she took her "eye off the ball" over drug deaths. Anas Sarwar's dance moves.

In some ways, what has not happened is more notable.

For the first time in Holyrood's short history, the UK prime minister has not appeared on the Scottish campaign trail.

Boris Johnson's unpopularity in Scotland may go some way to explaining his absence. The controversy surrounding his administration has ensured he's featured in the campaign anyway.

None of that is to suggest the Scottish election does not matter. It absolutely does. Big time.

Voters are choosing who will run the Scottish government for the next five years and lead Scotland's recovery from coronavirus.

They are also deciding whether or not there will be a big push for another independence referendum in the next parliament - something that affects the whole UK.

If a majority of those elected to Holyrood back indyref2, a major political wrangle between the Scottish and UK governments is likely to follow.

However low energy this election might be, the political stakes are extremely high.

Is Alex Salmond’s Alba Party on course for picking up seats in Scotland?

PA Wire

Alba party leader Alex Salmond campaigning for the Scottish Parliamentary election.

Former SNP leader of Alex Salmond launched a new pro-independence party to contest the Scottish Parliament election.

The former first minister is standing for election on the regional list vote.

But, Sir John Curtis Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University says straw polls over the last 24 hours give him just 2%, 3%, 3%, 3%.

"Even the one company that gave Alba their most optimistic reading during the campaign suggested the figure had gone down from 6% to 4%" he said.

"So it is possible they may pick up one seat – maybe Mr Salmond will get elected. The crucial benchmark here is 6%; once you get to 6%, you can anticipate picking up a seat at least in the majority of regions, and they seem to be well short of that. So unless the polls are badly out, it doesn’t look terribly likely that Alba are going to ensure a significant addition to the total number of pro-independence MSPs in the next parliament."

Why are elections only being held in some places?

Almost 5,000 seats are up for grabs in England across 143 councils but not everywhere is going to the polls.

Different places have different election schedules, so if your area had contests in 2018 or 2019, it might not be due to hold more this year.

In Scotland and Wales there are national elections to the devolved parliaments, but no local elections - they are scheduled for 2022.

And that's it for your questions answered today. You can find some of yesterday's answers here.

How do elections to London Assembly work?

We've had a number of emails on this, so here goes:

• You will be given three ballot papers, one for mayor of London and two picks for members of the London Assembly.
• In total you will be asked to mark down four votes.
• Take the papers to the private booth, where you will find a pencil to mark your vote with, although you can use your own pen if you'd prefer.
• Read what's there carefully and then vote for your chosen candidate by putting an "X" in the box next to their name.
• The pink ballot paper will be for your choice for mayor of London. You will be asked to pick your first and second choice for mayor. Each vote must be for a different candidate.
• Choose who you want to represent your local area on the London Assembly, voting on the yellow ballot paper.
• You then choose a second candidate for the London Assembly using the orange ballot paper, which is used to choose a member to represent the whole of the capital on the London Assembly.
• The London-wide seats are worked out in a way that benefits parties that did not win constituency seats.

There are 20 candidates standing for London mayor.

Will the elections take place in a Covid friendly way?

Things will look a bit different at polling stations tomorrow as a result of Coronavirus safety measures.

There are a few things you need to be aware of if you choose to vote in person:

• wear a face covering (unless you’re exempt)
• bring your own pen or pencil (there will be clean pencils available at the polling station if you forget to bring your own)
• use the hand sanitiser provided when entering and leaving the polling station
• keep to social distancing guidelines

If you have coronavirus symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate, do not visit the polling station. Get an emergency proxy vote instead.

Can I take my well-behaved dog in with me when I vote?

We all love pictures of dogs at polling stations and they are certainly one of the main highlights of election day.

You will most likely have to leave your furry friend outside the polling station when you go in to cast your vote, unless it is an assistance dog.

Hopefully there will be plenty other pooches there to keep them company.

Remember to pack your face mask, and your own pen or pencil to mark you ballot (if you want), and not just some dog treats.

Oh, and send us a picture!

Welsh elections: Will 16 and 17-year-olds vote?

Young people have welcomed the lowering of the first-time voting age to 16, ahead of the Welsh Parliament election on 6 May.

Polling by the Electoral Reform Society and YouGov found 69% of 16 to 24-year-olds thought the Senedd elections were important - a higher proportion than in any other age group, except the over-65s.

First-time voter Lisha, 17, said: "It's our future just as much as it is anybody else's. We deserve to have a say in what happens to us.

"It's clear that people my age definitely want to make a difference and want to change things. It's just we need the ability and we need the accessibility to do so."

Welsh Parliament Election 2021: Younger voting age welcomed by teens

Video by Nick Hartley and Tyler Edwards

Please explain the voting system in Wales, I'm confused

In the Senedd elections you have two votes. One is for your constituency Senedd member and the other for a party for your region.

For the constituency elections all the votes are counted and the person with the most votes wins, similar to Westminster elections.

The regional members are elected more in proportion to the amount of votes a party gets in each region. To balance things out, the amount of constituency seats a party wins does have an effect on how many regional seats they can win. However it can be hard to predict exactly how this will turn out in individual areas.

You can sign up for alerts from the Welsh election here.

Can I vote online?

You cannot vote online in any of the elections.

First of all you need to be registered to vote and then you have three choices.

You can vote in person at a polling station, vote by post, or ask someone else to be your 'proxy' and vote on your behalf.

The deadline has closed to apply for a postal vote. If do have a postal ballot but forgot to send it off, you can take your ballot papers to your polling station any time before polls close at 22:00 on election day.

You can apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 17:00 on election day.

Wanted: Home for new councils in Northamptonshire

BBC

Northamptonshire Councillors meeting in County Hall in August 2018

People in Northamptonshire will be voting for the first time to elect councillors to the newly formed councils of West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire Council.

These authorities only started life at the start of April 2021, replacing the scrapped Northamptonshire County Council as well as seven district and borough councils across the county.

However it looks like the two new councils will struggle to find somewhere big enough to hold their meetings.

None of the headquarters previously belonging to the eight axed authorities have big enough council chambers to accommodate all the relevant members and council officers.

Read more here.

How do I vote for police and crime commissioners and on what?

Thirty-nine Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be elected across England and Wales.

You mark a first and second preference when you vote. Then, when all the votes are counted, the second preferences of the less popular candidates get redistributed to the top two and that decides the winner.

Police and crime commissioners are not serving police officers, instead their role is to hold police forces to account on the public’s behalf. They can set budgets for police forces, appoint chief constables and engage with the public and victims of crime to help set plans to tackle crime.

For voters like Krista in the London, the mayor acts as the police and crime commissioner for the city.

The results of the PCCs elections won't be announced until Monday.

Can it be identified who you voted for?

That information is between you and the ballot box.

The only way anyone can find out who you voted for is if you actually tell them.

When you go in to the polling station, you cast your vote in your own private voting booth, then fold your paper in half and drop it in the ballot box.

You are not allowed to photograph your ballot paper.

Voters are advised not to update their social media inside the polling station - even if it is about your own vote. And it is a criminal offence to reveal how someone else voted.

Your questions answered

BBC

You've been sending us your question about tomorrow's elections in England, Scotland and Wales.

Our political correspondent Jessica Parker and Researcher Joseph Cassidy have been finding the answers for you.... here goes...

In pictures: The last campaigning day in Wales

Food seems to be the theme of the day on the Welsh campaign trail with leaders paying trips to restaurants, food wholesalers and chip shops.

BBC

Labour's Mark Drakeford visits the Hang Fire Southern Kitchen restaurant in Barry

PA

Plaid Cymru's leader Adam Price met employees at the food company Castell Howell in Llanelli

Reuters

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies enjoyed a bag of chips with Chancellor Rishi Sunak during a visit to Marine Holiday Park Rhyl

BBC

Jane Dodds - the Welsh Lib Dem leader - campaigned in Ystradgynlais, in the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency

A very simple guide to tomorrow's elections

BBC

If you're just joining us, welcome to our coverage of the last day of election campaigning.

Thursday sees a bumper set of elections, including for:

• The Scottish and Welsh parliaments
• 143 English councils
• Mayors in 13 areas, including London
• The London Assembly
• 39 police and crime commissioners
• The MP for Hartlepool

Each election has its own system and some people can vote in more than one poll. We've produced a very simple guide to all the different elections so you know what is happening in your area and across the country.

Welsh leaders hit target spots on last campaign day

Getty Images

The Welsh Senedd will welcome 60 members after the election

The leaders of Welsh parties have covered the four corners of the country on the last day of campaigning.

• In north Wales, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies was joined by Chancellor Rishi Sunak at a holiday park in Rhyl to promote the key message that the Tories offer change. Mr Sunak, who served chips to Welsh Secretary Simon Hart during the visit, played up the UK government's financial support for Wales during the pandemic.
• Incumbent first minister and Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford lent his support to campaigning in the Vale of Glamorgan, a Labour seat in the Senedd but a clear Tory target as it is held by them in Westminster. Mr Drakeford also said the party was "battling hard" in north Wales, where it lost four seats in the Westminster elections.
• Further west, Plaid Cymru's Adam Price was doing the reverse in Llanelli, won by a narrow margin by Labour in the 2016 elections but high on the list of target seats for Plaid, saying the election was "going to be won on small margins.
• Meanwhile Jane Dodds has been shoring up support for the only Welsh Liberal Democrat seat it took at the last ballot, Brecon and Radnorshire in mid Wales. While freely admitting she was "not going to be first minister", Ms Dodds said they wanted to win in some of the regional list seats as well.

Can I take a selfie when I vote?

Getty

You could get into trouble depending what's in the background of your photo.

There are also pitfalls if you decide to sign your ballot paper.

so what are the dos and don'ts of going to vote?

Read our guide here

Castles, fish and drive-in rallies - the Scottish campaign trail

PA

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross and his predecessor Ruth Davidson in front of Stirling Castle

PA

Co Green party leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were in Edinburgh

PA Media

Labour's Anas Sarwar staged a drive-in rally in Glasgow

PA Media

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon met fish merchants in Aberdeen

BBC

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie took to the skies in a microlight from North Berwick on his final day of campaigning.

Scotland result hard to predict

Nick Eardley

Political correspondent

Nobody in the Scottish campaign is claiming anyone apart from the SNP is going to be the biggest party in the next Scottish Parliament.

The opposition parties are pitching to stop an SNP majority – and saying they could be an effective opposition.

Take a flick through Scotland’s papers this morning and you get a sense of how hard it is to predict whether the SNP will get that majority though.

If you read The Times, their poll suggests the party is on course for a comfortable majority. The Daily Mail conclude it's all too close to call.

The parties are all quite nervous about the numbers.

The normal face-to-face canvassing that plays a big part in modern elections hasn’t really happened.

Candidates have an idea what’s going on, but can’t say with any certainty what changes have been taking place in their area in the last year.

Your questions answered at 15:00

BBC

Keep your questions coming in about tomorrow's elections.

Click here - or use the link above - to send it to us.

Our political correspondent Jessica Parker is looking through the ones we have already received - she will be here with some of the answers at 15:00 BST.