Scottish Parliament election well run but candidate abuse and misinformation remain key concerns

The majority of candidates in Scotland face abuse or intimidation, while voters have significant concerns about the accuracy of information they see at elections, according to the Electoral Commission’s new report on this year’s Scottish Parliament election.

Public confidence in the running of elections remains high – with 93% of voters in Scotland satisfied with the process of voting, and 86% confident the elections were well run.

However, action is required to maintain the confidence of voters and those participating in elections, by keeping candidates safe from abuse and intimidation and addressing misinformation.

The Commission's research found that almost two thirds (63%) of candidates had experienced at least one form of abuse during the campaign. Female candidates were more likely to experience abuse.

Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said:

“Without improvements to candidate safety, there is a significant risk that people will be put off standing in future elections. It requires work right across the electoral community to prioritise the safety of all those taking part.

"Parties have a responsibility to make it clear to their members that they should respect all candidates, regardless of which party they represent, while social media companies should act faster to remove abusive content aimed at candidates, and identify those responsible.  

“This election demonstrates the growing threats posed to democracy. Protecting those who participate in our elections, whether in the polling booth or on the campaign trail, is a vital part of a healthy democracy.

The Commission’s research also found that more than half of respondents said they saw misinformation ahead of the elections, and one in ten said they saw deepfake material.  

The Commission is calling for the UK Government to require social media platforms to strengthen their responses to mis- and disinformation. It says electoral law should reflect the risk posed by new threats, such as generative AI.  

Vijay Rangarajan continued:

“The continuing trend of high voter satisfaction in how elections are run is encouraging, but many voters are telling us that they are worried about mis- and disinformation.

“The UK's governments and social media platforms need to take urgent action to protect voters from misinformation.

"Social media platforms should be required to improve how they protect information about elections. We want to see them carry out risk assessments on how their services might be used to create and share harmful mis- or dis-information. They also need to make it easier for trusted partners to highlight potentially harmful mis- or disinformation. In addition, our election laws should be updated to keep pace with advances in digital campaigning.”

The Electoral Commission will shortly be submitting its new Scotland Corporate Plan to the Scottish Parliament setting out ambitious next steps for its work in Scotland. This will include working with Police Scotland, the Scottish Government, parties and campaigners to identify and respond to the causes and impact of abuse and intimidation and seek better standards of behaviour in campaigning, and scaling up democratic education work to help voters identify mis- and disinformation.

The Commission’s full report on the 2026 Scottish Parliament election can be viewed on the Commission’s website. Reports covering the May polls in England and the Senedd elections in Wales, have also been published today.

Ends

For more information contact the Electoral Commission press office on 0131 225 0211, out of office hours on 07789 920 414 or at [email protected].