Youth Council & SYP Candidates in Abbey

Abbey Ward Youth Council Candidates

There are 2 candidates standing for 2 Ward Youth Councillor positions for this area. Ward Youth Councillors are responsible for linking in with local services and their role is to represent the voices, experiences and opinions of young people to local decision makers i.e. Elected Members. As there are the same number of candidates than there are positions, this is an uncontested election and there will not be a vote. 

• Niko Colligan
• Edward Christie

Abbey Ward Youth Councillor Candidate Profiles (PDF, 2 MB)

Galloway & West Dumfries Scottish Youth Parliament Candidates

Abbey sits within the Galloway and West Dumfries Scottish Parliamentary Constituency and so young people in the area will have the opportunity to cast their vote on the 2 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) who will be elected to represent the area. MSYPs are responsible for linking in Ward and Nominated Youth Councillors and taking the voices, experiences and opinions of young people forward to the Scottish Youth Parliament and national decision makers i.e. MSPs and MPs. 

Young people who have put themselves forward as candidates for Galloway and West Dumfries are from all across the area, from Dalbeattie to Stranraer. 

• Alasdair Marshall
• Andrew Sinden
• Anya McCreadie
• Edward Christie
• Elli Wadsworth
• Ellie Miller
• Eve McCamon
• Finlay Anderson
• Hannah Birse
• Katie Henderson
• Lacey Mclachlan
• May Xiang Qui Tang
• Sophie Wilson
• Violet Raphael

Galloway & West Dumfries Scottish Youth Parliament Candidate Profiles (PDF, 10 MB)

Nominated Youth Councillors

The Youth Council has 7 Nominated Youth Councillor positions for young people from minority backgrounds or those with protected characteristics. This includes a:

• Youth Councillor for LGBT Young People

LGBT Youth Councillor Candidates (PDF, 5 MB)(opens new window)

• Youth Councillor for Young Carers

Young Carer Youth Councillor Candidates (PDF, 590 KB)(opens new window)

• Youth Councillor for Care Experience Young People

Care Experienced Youth Councillor Candidates (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

• Youth Councillor for Young People with Additional Support Needs and Disabilities

ASN and Disabilities Youth Councillor Candidates (PDF, 8 MB)(opens new window)

• Youth Councillor for Young People from Ethnic Minority Backgrounds

Ethnic Minority Youth Councillor Candidates (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

• Youth Councillor for Gypsy Traveller Youth
• Youth Councillor for Young Parents

Although it says Nominated in the title, Youth Councillors for Nominated Groups are elected by young people. Voting for these positions is available at any of the polling places (excluding libraries) and there will be targeted voting sessions at youth groups across the region. 

How To Vote

Voting is pretty straight forward in that any young person aged 12-25 (or S1+) can cast a vote at their local polling place. Every voter will automatically be given 2 ballot papers, 1 to vote for their Ward Youth Councillors and 1 to vote for their MSYPs. Voters can request a ballot slip for any Nominated Group too. Young people must provide their name and date of birth to recieve ballot papers and each voter is only allowed to vote once per election. 

It doesn't matter where in Dumfries and Galloway you live, you are able to vote for any of the Nominated Youth Councillor positions. 

Instead of putting a tick or a cross against a candidate, voters just need to number the candidates in order preference i.e. 1 for your 1st choice/preferred candidate, 2 for your 2nd choice, 3 for your 3rd and so on. This type of voting is called Single Transferable Vote (STV) and if you want to understand a bit more about how this works, you can check out this video.

Where To Vote

In Abbey, voting is taking place on the following days and times:

• Lunchtime at Dalbeattie High School on our Mobile Youth Centre on Thursday 11th November (Students only)
• 3:30pm - 4:30pm at Dalbeattie High School Carpark using MyPod on Thursday 11th November
• 6:30pm - 8:30pm at Dalbeattie Town Hall on Wednesday 10th November 
• 7pm - 9pm at the 3G Pitch, Dalbeattie High School on Friday 19th November 

Contact Information

If you would like more information about the vote, or if you have any questions, please make sure to e-mail info@dgyouthcouncil.com or follow the Youth Council on social media @YouthCouncilDG on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.