27 Oct 2011
The Electoral Commission – the independent elections watchdog – has today published its report on the administration of the Scottish Parliament election in May this year. The report finds that the election was well-administered and voter-focused but warns against complacency.
Research found that nearly all voters (97%) found it easy to fill in the Scottish Parliamentary ballots compared to only 82% in 2007. The level of spoilt ballots fell almost ten-fold compared to the 2007 election with 0.42% of constituency ballots and 0.34% of regional list ballots counted as spoilt in 2011. In 2007 4.08% of constituency ballots and 2.88% of regional ballots were spoilt.
The Commission also found significant improvements in the co-ordination of the election. Since the 2007 election an Electoral Management Board (EMB) for Scotland led by an Elections Convener has been established to co-ordinate the work of Returning Officers and improve standards of service for voters. The work of the EMB in the run up to the election included setting in place escalation procedures to identify and address local issues before they became Scotland-wide problems, and agreeing contingency plans to avoid late changes to ballot papers which could have had a negative impact on voters. All this work contributed to a well-run election in Scotland and a positive experience for voters.
Today’s report on the Scottish Parliament election welcomes the new statutory role for the EMB for local government elections in Scotland but highlights the Commission’s concern that this formal role - which gives the Elections Convener the power to direct Returning Officers in the best interests for voters – does not exist for any other elections in Scotland. The report calls for governments to legislate ahead of the 2016 Scottish Parliament election to provide the Elections Convener with a statutory power of direction for all elections in Scotland.
John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner for Scotland said,
“On 6 May everyone in Scotland was talking about the result of the election instead of the administration. That’s the way it should be – rightly about voters and their choices.
“The Scottish Parliament election was a real test for the work which has taken place since 2007 on making sure that ballot papers are easy for voters to complete and strengthening the co-ordination of elections in Scotland through the creation of an Electoral Management Board for Scotland led by an Elections Convener. I am pleased to record that the hard work has been worthwhile
“While the election was a success we should not be complacent. The Elections Convener remains a non-statutory post for all but local government elections and I would urge governments to legislate to provide the Convener with a power of direction for other elections before the next Scottish Parliament election in 2016.”
Ends
For more information please contact:
Electoral Commission press office: 0131 225 0211
Out of office hours: 07789 920 414
Notes to editors
- The Electoral Commission report on the Scottish Parliament elctions is available to read here.
- The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance, set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulations of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
- The Electoral Management Board was given a statutory role for local government elections in Scotland as a result of the Local Electoral Administration (Scotland) Act 2011. The Act provides the Elections Convener with a power to direct other Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in respect of local government elections.
- Public opinion data is based on interviews with 1,001 adults aged 18+ across Scotland. Interviewing was conducted by ICM as part of a survey of the whole UK, and took place between 7 and 23 May 2011.
