2026 Scottish Parliament Election
On 7 May, Scotland will elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament. This is our chance to make blood cancer a priority on Scotland’s political agenda.
Make your voice heard
No matter how much or little you can do, your voice matters. You can read our manifesto, learn how to talk to candidates or use our prepared questions.
Our manifesto at a glance
Our manifesto overview tells you exactly what we're asking our political representatives to do and why.
What it takes: your voice
We know that interacting with political candidates may feel daunting, so we've put together a useful guide to help you.
Question bank
We've prepared some questions you might want to ask candidates.
Background to the Scottish election
What responsibilities does the Scottish Parliament have?
- Health is fully devolved, meaning the Scottish Government is responsible for how the NHS in Scotland is funded and delivered.
- For people living with blood cancer, this directly affects diagnosis, access to treatments or clinical trials, and the support and services they rely on.
How do I vote?
- Voters in Scotland each have two votes; the first vote is for a constituency member, the second for a party, on a regional basis. 73 members are elected as constituency MSPs, while 56 additional members are elected to represent the eight parliamentary regions
- To find out how to register to vote or to vote by post or proxy, as well as information on finding your polling station and how to complete your ballot, see the mygov.scot information on voting in elections in Scotland..
Email your candidates
This election is an opportunity to put blood cancer on the political agenda in Scotland.
Use Blood Cancer UK’s tool to find and email your local candidates in the Holyrood 2026 election.
This election is an opportunity for the next Scottish Government to be bold. We know what it takes to beat blood cancer in Scotland. Can you help us get there?
- Helen Rowntree CEO of Blood Cancer UK
Discover more of our policy and influencing work
Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) Election
An election is also taking place in Wales. Find out what we're doing to make blood cancer a priority in Wales' political agenda.
UK Blood Cancer Action Plan
In 2024 we published our award-winning Action Plan which made 17 recommendations to improve blood cancer survival in the UK.
Join our Policy Collective
Our Policy Collective is made up of people from across the UK who want to help shape our policy and influencing work or just want to hear regular updates about the work we're doing.
National Cancer Plan for England
Find out what the National Cancer Plan for England means for people living with blood cancer, including what it means for the devolved nations.