Technical Notes 2022, Issue 211 - Scottish Government Consultation on Electoral Reform - 2022

1. The purpose of this Technical Note is to present members with the Scottish Government's consultation paper on electoral reform.

2. The paper considers possible changes to electoral law and sets out a number of areas where the Scottish Government has identified issues it thinks may require action.  Areas addressed in the consultation include:-

• Whether there should be any change for those currently able to vote but not permitted to stand for election, such as 16- and 17-year-olds.
• It highlights a number of possible changes to assist candidates in Local Government elections;
• It sets out proposals on how to increase voter registration and how to improve accessibility in elections to ensure all people can vote independently and in secret
• It considers options for the small number of people resident in Scotland without voting rights, such as asylum seekers and people detained under mental health legislation;
• The consultation looks at options for rearranging scheduled elections in response to exceptional circumstances;
• It considers further changes in relation to the Electoral Commission, the Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) and Boundaries Scotland; and
• It addresses questions arising from the UK Elections Act 2022.  In Scotland, this impacts the administration and participation in UK Parliamentary General Elections from 2023 onwards.  This will be the subject of a future report to Council.

3.  The consultation questions, give an opportunity to provide comment and views on the areas identified in the consultation paper, with a closing date of 15 March 2023.

4. Please view the Consultation Paper