Under Article 41 of the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015, individuals and organisations (known as ‘local non-party campaigners’) may incur spending of up to £500 campaigning for or against one or more candidates in a particular constituency or region, without the authorisation of the election agent.
The election agent for the relevant constituency or individual regional candidate that the campaigning benefits must authorise, in writing, any spending above this amount.
Where a local non-party campaigner spends above £500, they must submit a return to you declaring the amount of election expenses the candidate’s agent has authorised them to spend, along with a copy of the written authorisation the election agent has given. This return must be submitted within 21 calendar days of the declaration of the result.