THIS has been an election campaign like no other.

Conducted as the country takes small steps out of a lockdown that has changed lives and prepares to move into a period of economic uncertainty as the full impact of the pandemic and lockdown hits home.

The health service has transformed to cope with the pandemic and staff adapted and performed heroically as the numbers of people in hospital with the virus rocketed.

READ MORE: Scottish Election 2021: It's time to make up your mind as polling opens

The NHS will now face the task of getting back to normal and dealing with a backlog of cases of other illnesses and operations that were cancelled.

Teachers admirably took on the challenge of blended learning as schools had to close for months. The education system and our children will need to be supported to recover.

Thousands of people have lost their jobs and many more are returning from furlough, uncertain as to what economic climate they are going back to and local businesses will need practical and financial help to stay open.

There is a massive challenge awaiting the 129 MSPs who Scotland elects today.

It is not only a government that is being elected but individual representatives of the people who can expect to be deluged with case work as people will need help and support with range of problems.

Of course, who runs the country is of vital importance but it is also important who our backbenchers are and who our opposition MSPs are.

That is the choice also facing voters today.

Glasgow will elect 15 of Holyrood’s 129 MSPs. They are likely to come from across the spectrum, given the proportional representation system in place.

The party leaders have taken most of the publicity in this campaign, probably more than any other but the others who take on cabinet positions, sit on committees and deal with your issues in the constituency are just as vital.

The Glasgow Times never tells people who they should vote for. It is your vote.

It is a right we should cherish and protect and we do not see it as our job to instruct, persuade or encourage you to vote for one candidate or party over another.

Throughout the campaign, and daily, over the years since the last Holyrood election, we have however, sought to report on the issues that matter to Glasgow and what the politicians have, or have not, been doing about them.

That is our role in a democratic society with a free press.

The role of you, the voter, is to make your mind up and put your cross on the ballot papers for who you think will best represent you and your community, reflect your values and help make the city and country a better place.

So today, like every polling day, we urge you to get out and vote and make your own voice heard.