SHOULD it go ahead as planned in May, the Holyrood election is likely to see postal voting on a scale never before witnessed in Scotland, coming as it does amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Whether or not the prevalence of Covid-19 has diminished enough to allow a return to some semblance of normality, people seem unlikely to want to take any chances, with two minutes in a pokey polling booth being a prime contender for a super-spreader event of Trumpian proportions.

Postal voting has been on the rise in all the Holyrood elections this century: 3.6% of the electorate in 2003; 11.2% in 2007; 14.1% in 2011; and 17.7% in 2016 – 726,555 votes.

Given the current public health circumstances, May’s poll is likely to push that figure well over the million mark. Indeed, the Electoral Commission reported last month that while casting a vote in a polling place “remains the preferred option” for most voters”, they had again found it likely the proportion of the electorate opting to go postal in May would increase.

The EC said: “The preferred method of casting a vote if an election were to take place now was at a polling place with appropriate hygiene measures in place (53%). 38% said they would prefer to vote by post and 1% by proxy.”

Malcolm Burr, convener of the Electoral Management Board (EMB) for Scotland, has issued a set of directions for returning electoral registration officers, taking account of the likelihood of “continued restrictions” due to the pandemic.

READ MORE: Independence group encourages the use of postal voting in Holyrood election

Returning officers (ROs) should review their intended polling places so they are ready for the added demands of operating under Covid conditions.

He added: “In addition many venues around the country are being designated as vaccination centres and ROs should be aware of any potential impact on their choice of polling places.”

In today’s digital world, with high-tech scams arriving on our devices every other day, there are concerns amongst many of our readers about the security of postal voting.

Marie McIlwham, from Crookston, told us she thought it would be better for as many votes as possible to be postal, but she also highlighted the tens of thousands of ballots “discounted” in 2011 because of differences in the signature provided at the time of voting and the sample held by election officers. Signature samples are usually requested by electoral officials every five years, as McIlwham found out last year. She said: “It came from the Electoral Registration Office at Glasgow City Council in which it was stated my last signature sample was in 2015 … I recognised the letter as my dad got one a few years ago, requesting a new signature sample.

“He was ill at the time and signatures given would definitely have changed.”

Paul Gillon, from Leven, told us he and his wife received a “postal vote refresh notice”, which asked them to put their “fresh signature within the box below, without crossing into the black border area, using a black pen”. However, he said: “A major problem was immediately obvious as there was no ‘box below’ but instead a large white space.”

We have established that submitting a signature “outside the box” would not result in it being rejected.

The continuing exchange of views about postal voting has seen Aberdeen Independence Movement (AIM) urging people to use theirs if they can.

Their website has a series of information and links for people to register for a postal vote, and tells them: “In the midst of this pandemic, this is the best way to make sure that your voice is heard.

“It’s a simple process ... If the last year has taught us anything, it’s to take nothing for granted – including democracy. Whoever you vote for, please just make sure that you do vote.”