Who does what at a Scottish Parliamentary election and how to contact them
Constituency Returning Officers (CROs)
At a Scottish Parliament election the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) is responsible for all aspects of the administration of the constituency election, including the nomination of candidates at the constituency election, and elements of the regional election which fall within their constituency area, including the conduct of the poll and the count.
The CRO is the Returning Officer responsible for local council elections in that area, and is normally a senior officer of the local authority and independent of the authority in respect of their electoral functions.
Where a constituency covers more than one local authority area, the CRO is appointed by Scottish Ministers through an Order of the Scottish Parliament.
Regional Returning Officers (RROs)
At a Scottish Parliament election the Regional Returning Officer (RRO) is responsible for dealing with nominations for the regional election and for the allocation of regional seats.
The RRO for each electoral region is appointed by Scottish Ministers through an Order of the Scottish Parliament.
Contacting the CROs and RROs
We have produced a list of the names and contact details of both CROs and RROs.
Constituency and Regional Returning Officers will offer briefings ahead of the election and we strongly encourage you or your agent to attend, even if you have been an agent or stood for election before.
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is responsible for the register of electors and absent voters’ lists for each local council area. The same person may have been appointed as the ERO for more than one local council area. You can find the contact details for your ERO on our website.
The Electoral Commission
We are an independent statutory body established in November 2000 by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. We are currently headed by ten Commissioners, including a Chair.
We are responsible for registering political parties and non-party campaigners, the monitoring and publication of significant donations to registered political parties and the regulation of party and non-party campaigner spending at certain elections.
We also have a role in promoting voter awareness. We are required to report on the administration of certain electoral events, including a Scottish Parliament election, to keep electoral matters under review and, if requested, must review and report on any electoral matter. We also accredit observers to be present at election proceedings.
We do not run elections but have responsibility for providing advice and assistance on electoral matters to all those involved in elections, including CROs, RROs, EROs, political parties and candidates.