Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and the Elections Act 2022, there are rules about putting imprints on election material. We regulate compliance with those rules.

Whenever printed or digital election material is produced, it must contain certain details (which we refer to as an ‘imprint’) to show who is responsible for the material. This helps to ensure there is transparency about who is campaigning.

The rules on imprints apply to all registered political parties contesting Scottish Parliamentary elections and council elections in Scotland. They apply whenever you produce material promoting your party at the election.

Election material is published material that can reasonably be regarded as intended to influence voters to vote for or against one or more political parties or a category of candidates at certain elections.

For political parties, this will include printed material such as leaflets and adverts that promote the party, its candidates or its policies, or criticise other parties, at an election.

On printed election material such as leaflets and posters, you must include the name and address of:

• the printer
• the promoter
• any person on behalf of whom the material is being published (and who is not the promoter)

On digital election material containing text distributed via the internet, you must include the name and address of:

• the promoter
• any person on behalf of whom the material is being published (and who is not the promoter)

The promoter is whoever has caused the material to be published.

You must use an address where you can be contacted. You can use a home address or an office or business address. You can also use a PO Box address or other mailbox service.

If you are putting an advert in a print newspaper, your advert does not need to include the printer’s name and address, but the name and address of the printer of the newspaper must appear on the first or last page of the newspaper. The advert must include the other details as usual.  

If you are being paid to publish election material, the material must include an imprint which includes the details of whoever is paying you. This is because either they are the promoter, or you are publishing the material on their behalf.

In all cases, you must make sure that the imprint lists all the organisations involved in publishing and promoting the material.

It is an offence for a printer or promoter to publish printed election material without an imprint. 

For printed material such as leaflets and posters, anyone who promotes or prints election material must include an imprint by law.

For digital material, you do not have to include an imprint on your election material if you are expressing your personal opinion in material published on your own behalf and on a non-commercial basis.

Some people cannot use the personal opinion exemption due to their legal responsibilities under electoral law.

If you are one of these people, you must include an imprint on any digital election material containing text even if it is your personal opinion.

These people are:

• A candidate at the election
• An election agent or deputy election agent at a Scottish Parliamentary election, Scottish council election, or certain other elections
• A holder of elective office:
  • a member of the House of Commons
  • a member of the Scottish Parliament
  • a member of the Senedd
  • a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
  • a Police and Crime Commissioner
  • a member of any local authority in the UK, excluding parish or community councils
  • a member of the Greater London Authority
  • the Mayor of London or any other elected mayor
• A registered officer of a political party or one of its accounting units:
  • party leader
  • treasurer
  • deputy treasurer
  • nominating officer
  • campaigns officer
  • deputy campaigns officer
  • accounting unit treasurer
  • accounting unit second officer

A responsible person for a registered non-party campaigner

An organisation cannot use the personal opinion exemption.

For the separate UK-wide digital imprints regime which also applies, see our statutory guidance.

Example 1

A party activist posts campaign messages from the party’s social media accounts as part of their volunteer work for the party. Although they are not being paid, they are acting on behalf of the party.

This is not their personal opinion, and the material must bear the party’s imprint.

Example 2

A supporter of the party posts their own thoughts on social media to encourage people to vote for their party.

They are acting independently, not on behalf of the party, and there is no commercial basis for their post.

This is their personal opinion, and no imprint is required.

Example 3

A supporter of the party pays for independent adverts promoting the party to be shown to social media users in their area.

The supporter is acting independently, not on behalf of the party. They are a non-party campaigner (see our guidance). Since they are paying for the adverts, they do not count as an expression of their personal opinion.

The adverts must carry an imprint. Since they were not done on behalf of the party, they do not need the party’s details. They must contain the person’s own details.

Example 4

A local councillor tweets their views on who people should vote for at the Scottish Parliamentary election.

Although this is their personal opinion and they are acting on their own behalf, they are a holder of elective office.

The personal opinion exemption does not apply, and they must include an imprint in their tweet or their Twitter bio.

The promoter may be the party treasurer, another officer of the party, or the party itself.

A standard imprint on printed party election material should look like this:

Printed by Armadillo Printing Ltd, 22 Thornfields Avenue, Glasgow, G9 1AB.

Promoted by the Yellow Party, 110 High Street, Airdrie, AD1 1AD.

If the material is digital there is no printer, so a digital imprint on campaign material should look like this:

Promoted by J. Smith on behalf of the Yellow Party, both of 110 High Street, Airdrie, AD1 1AD.

If your material is a single-sided printed document – such as a window poster – or where most of the information is on one side, you must put the imprint on that side of the document.

If it is a multi-sided printed document, you must put it on the first or last page.

The UK legislation on digital imprints has requirements on where a digital imprint must appear – see our statutory guidance for details.

Example 1

A party activist posts campaign messages from the party’s social media accounts as part of their volunteer work for the party. Although they are not being paid, they are acting on behalf of the party.

This is not their personal opinion, and the material must bear the party’s imprint.

Example 2

A supporter of the party posts their own thoughts on social media to encourage people to vote for their party.

They are acting independently, not on behalf of the party, and there is no commercial basis for their post.

This is their personal opinion, and no imprint is required.

Example 3

A supporter of the party pays for independent adverts promoting the party to be shown to social media users in their area.

The supporter is acting independently, not on behalf of the party. They are a non-party campaigner (see our guidance). Since they are paying for the adverts, they do not count as an expression of their personal opinion.

The adverts must carry an imprint. Since they were not done on behalf of the party, they do not need the party’s details. They must contain the person’s own details.

Example 4

A local councillor tweets their views on who people should vote for at the Scottish Parliamentary election.

Although this is their personal opinion and they are acting on their own behalf, they are a holder of elective office.

The personal opinion exemption does not apply, and they must include an imprint in their tweet or their Twitter bio.