Created in 2007, the ward elects three councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 15,275 people.

The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections.

As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so East Kilbride East was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.

East Kilbride East covers the parts of East Kilbride on the north-east and eastern peripheries of the town, primarily Calderwood (excepting the Maxwellton/west of Calderwood Road area), as well as Brancumhall, part of St Leonards (east of High Common Road), Nerston (the separate hamlet, but not the brownfield residential developments south of Kingsgate) and the Crutherland development fringing Calderglen Country Park.

[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, streets between Calderwood Road, Morrishall Road and Hunter Primary School were transferred into the ward from East Kilbride Central North.