Voters go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday) to elect the 23 people who will make up the next Stirling Council.
A total of 56 candidates are running in Stirling for the May 5 local authority election.
While some locals who registered for a postal vote will already have voted, many will be making their choices officially in person at polling stations across the area tomorrow (Thursday).
The SNP are standing 14 candidates, Conservatives 11, Labor and the Liberal Democrats seven each, and the Greens five. There are also four independents, one Alba candidate and the Scottish Family Party have a candidate standing in each ward in the Stirling Council area.
Stirling Council’s 23 elected members represent a total of seven wards.
Following the election of 2017 the ruling administration was formed through a coalition between the SNP and Labour, who had eight and four councilors respectively. The Conservatives formed the opposition with nine councilors – later cut to eight when one became independent.
Voters will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. Instead of putting a cross in your chosen box as is done in general elections, voters use numbers.
Ballot papers list all the candidates standing to be councilors in your ward.
The voter then numbers the candidates in order of choice by putting the number 1 in the box next to the name of the candidate who is your first choice, 2 in the box next to your second choice, 3 in the box next to your third choice , and so on. You can make as many or as few choices as you wish.
Here is a final reminder of the candidates in each ward:
Ward One, Trossachs and Teith
Martin Earl, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Wendy Faulkner, Scottish Greens
Josh HamiltonScottish Labor Party
Dolores HughesScottish Family Party
Gene Maxwell, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Galen Milne, Scottish Liberal Democrats
John Watson, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Elaine Watterson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Ward Two, Forth and Endrick
Rob Davies, Independent
Rosemay Fraser, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Paul Goodwin, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Thomas Heald, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Paul Henke, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
James MacLaren, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Gerry McGarvey, Scottish Labor Party
Liam McKechnieScottish Family Party
Ward Three, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan
Bill CowanAlba Party
Ewan DillonScottish Labor Party
Douglas Dodds, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Graham Houston, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Ahsan Khan, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Alastair Majury, Independent
Fayzan Rehman, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Willy Stirling, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Alasdair Tollemache, Scottish Green
Nickie WillisScottish Family Party
Ward Four, Stirling North
Oliver Franklin, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Danny Gibson, Labor and Co-operative Party
Susan McGill, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Shena McLelland, Scottish Family Party
Rachel Nunn, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Amy SmithScottish Greens
Jim Thomson, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Ward Five, Stirling West
Neil Benny, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Scott Farmer, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Morag Fulton, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Dick Moerman, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Alastair Pettigrew, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Jen PrestonScottish Labor Party
Michael WillisScottish Family Party
Ward Six, Stirling East
Bryan Flannagan, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Linda Hendry, Scottish Greens
Chris KaneScottish Labor Party
Gary McGrow, Independent
Gerry McLaughlan, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Gordon Murphy, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Grant Thoms, Scottish National Party (SNP)
David Tortolano, Scottish Family Party
Ward Seven, Bannockburn
Margaret Brisley, Scottish Labor Party
Brian Hambly, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Sophie HendryScottish Family Party
Alasdair MacPherson, Independent
Hilary MacPherson, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Stuart McLuckie, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Marie Stadtler, Scottish Greens
Diane Tortolano, Scottish National Party (SNP)
www.dailyrecord.co.uk

George Holan is chief editor at Plainsmen Post and has articles published in many notable publications in the last decade.