Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Scottish Parliament election

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Returning Officer - skills and knowledge

You should have a working knowledge of the legislation governing the conduct of the election. This means that, in addition to having a clear understanding of your particular statutory functions, you should have an overview of what the legislation contains and an understanding of how it affects the administration of the election, so that you can review, question where necessary, and quality-assure the whole process.

There are management responsibilities attached to your role. For example, you should:

  • obtain the required staff and resources necessary to deliver a well-run election
  • draw the necessary support, skills and expertise from across your own local council
  • oversee the planning, project management and risk management of the election
  • incorporate any lessons learnt from previous polls, identifying and overseeing any actions necessary to mitigate any issues arising
  • ensure that staff are appropriately trained to deliver the roles required of them
  • support the staff administering the election and provide appropriate oversight of their work
  • provide direction to staff, monitor progress and receive regular feedback on activities
  • maintain an effective working relationship with the RRO (if you are not also the RRO)
  • maintain an effective working relationship with the ERO or EROs, where a constituency crosses local authority boundaries
  • in the case of cross boundary constituencies, seek advice and assistance from any CROs and staff at other local councils
  • maintain an effective working relationship with the CROs in your electoral region, where you are also the RRO
  • maintain an effective working relationship with your police Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
  • ensure that election accounts are completed in a timely manner
Last updated: 18 November 2025