Today, the Scots go to the polls.

Polling stations are open until 10 pm tonight, and heavy snowfall during the night in the northern parts has meant that some voters have had to get there in real winter weather.

Due to the corona pandemic, a record number of people have chosen to vote early.

According to the BBC, over one million Scots have registered for postal voting.

The pandemic also means that the election results will be ready later than usual.

All premises must be corona secured, and as the votes are counted in everything from the gym to the town hall, the counting rate will vary.

Instead of counting votes during the night, counting will begin on Friday morning.

The election results are not expected to be ready until Saturday.

New referendum is at stake

The election has been described as one of the most important ever for Scotland's future.

If the ruling nationalist party SNP gets its own majority, party leader Nicola Sturgeon will demand a new referendum on independence by the end of 2023.

But the election will also determine who forms Scotland's next government, which has significant influence over such things as health care, education and income tax.

If you combine the last ten opinion polls, the SNP will win 64 of 129 seats in parliament - a seat from its own majority, reports Reuters.

A possible coalition partner is the Greens, who support an independent Scotland. According to Reuters, they are expected to get 10 seats in parliament, which would mean that a majority is in favor of a new independence vote. Without its own majority for the SNP, however, it will be easier for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to say no to a new referendum.