Voting in Scotland Scottish Government Consultation on Electoral Reform 2018
The Scottish Parliament has new powers over elections in Scotland. Now it wants to look at ways of getting more people to vote and be involved in elections for MSPs and councillors. The Scottish Government is asking what people think about their ideas to make the election system easier and fairer. This is called a consultation.
The Scottish Government is asking how long MSPs and councillors should serve once they are elected. 2021 2020 Local elections for councillors and Scottish Parliament elections for MSPs happen every 4 years. Do you think this is enough time between elections or should it be longer? Would it be easier or more confusing if all elections were at the same time or at different times?
Can you remember voting in the local elections last year? Would it be a good thing if the group that runs the local elections in Scotland also runs the Scottish Parliament elections? Returning Officers are in charge of looking after elections in each area. Do you think this job should be part of the Council Chief s job? Should they get paid for doing it?
In Council elections the addresses of candidates are on the ballot paper? Do you think this is a good thing? Candidates are listed using the alphabet from A to Z. People whose names begin with letters near the end of the alphabet think this is unfair as they get put to the bottom of the ballot. Some people say this should be changed so ballot papers would have the names in different places. Other people say this would be confusing for voters. What do you think?
The Scottish Government wants to make voting easier. One way to do this could be with electronic voting. This is already being used in some other countries. Hello I am calling to vote This means you could vote on electronic voting machines in polling stations or on a computer or tablet or phone at home.? Some people think voting this way will be easier. Some people worry and cannot use technology. How do you feel about voting this way?
The Scottish Government wants voting to be accessible to everyone. It wants to know what more it can do to help people with disabilities to vote. Think about what could make the ballot paper easier to use? Would it be good to have easy read ballots? Would it be good to use pictures? Think about the polling station. Do you like going there? What would make it better? Would it be good to have staff there to support you more when you are voting?
Some people cannot vote because of where they come from or other reasons. Should we change the rules to make less barriers for people to vote??? After this consultation is over do you think our politicians should keep looking at more ways to change voting or not do it again? Right now you can only vote in your own area. Would it be a good thing to change it so you can use any polling station?
The Scottish Government wants to see more people with disabilities in politics. Like Gavin Harding who was the first councillor with learning disabilities in England. Gavin at the LDAS AGM What support would you need if you wanted to become a councillor like Gavin? Would it be training, or travel support or other things? You can fill the consultation in online at: consult.scotland.gov.uk You can send your answers to: Electoral Reform Consultation, Elections Team, Area 2 West, St Andrew s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG You can contact LDAS for more help at: office@ldascotland.org or sonya@ldascotland.org