North Ayrshire will go to the polls on Tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, to elect its MPs in the UK Parliamentary Election.

Voters in Largs, Fairlie, West Kilbride, Ardrossan, Kilbirnie, Beith, Dalry, Saltcoats, Stevenston and parts of Kilwinning, as well as the islands of Cumbrae and Arran will choose their Member of Parliament for the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency.

Irvine and parts of Kilwinning are part of the Central Ayrshire constituency alongside areas such as Prestwick, Troon, Annbank, Tarbolton, Symington and Dundonald.

Following the close of polls, the ballot papers for North Ayrshire and Arran will be transported to the count venue at St Matthew’s Academy, Saltcoats, where enumerators will begin the process of tallying the votes.

When the count is completed and, if there is no need for a recount, the results will be communicated to candidates and agents and thereafter declared publicly.

All being well, a projected time for the declaration is between 3am-4am on December 13.

Organisation of the UK Parliamentary Election in North Ayrshire has been a huge undertaking for council staff, particularly as it was called at short notice and is the first December election in decades.

Returning Officer Craig Hatton said: “Despite being called at relatively short notice, we had been preparing for the possibility of an election, so we were well placed when the date was confirmed.

“As always, our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure the process is open, transparent and runs as smoothly as possible.

“Because this will be the first Parliamentary Election held in December since 1923, we have been making contingency plans in case of poor weather but hopefully these won’t be required.

“We’re confident that whatever the weather, voters will get the opportunity to take part in the democratic process.

“We have also been very encouraged by the number of people who have registered, and I would encourage every one of them to ensure their voice is heard by casting their vote.”

Updated figures show that 73,534 people are registered to vote in the North Ayrshire and Arran Constituency area – an increase of 358 on the figure of 73,176 for the last General Election in June, 2017.

Many of those who applied for a postal vote have already completed and returned their forms. In North Ayrshire and Arran, about 17 per cent of the electorate have applied for a postal vote - 12,617.

A full list of polling places is available on the North Ayrshire Council website however some voters in Beith and Kilwinning should be aware that there will be a change of location at this election:

· Voters who would normally vote at Woodwynd Hall, Kilwinning, will now cast their ballot at Kilwinning Academy.

· Residents who would normally vote at Beith Parish Church Hall will now vote in the church building itself.

Postal voters who have not yet returned their postal vote can hand these into any polling place within the constituency up to 10pm on the day of the vote.