Ballot papers cast
in the May 2007 local government elections should be examined,
according to a report published today by the Local Government and
Communities Committee. The recommended research should establish
what the proportion of single "X" ballot papers was and
whether this indicates any issue with the first roll out of STV in
Scottish local government elections.
Speaking about the committee's Elections 2007 Report,
Committee Convener Duncan McNeil MSP said:
"The committee is concerned that the system of numbering
preferences required by the Single Transferable Vote (STV) in the
local government elections of 2007 was not the success it has been
claimed. While the rate of rejected ballots was lower than that of
the Scottish Parliament elections, it was still unnecessarily
high. There were also issues around ballot design, electronic
counting and the fact that the elections took place on the same
day as the Scottish Parliament's 'first past the
post,' elections.
"To restore public faith in the electoral process, the
committee also recommend establishing a chief returning officer
for Scotland, a decoupling of local government elections from
national elections and effective voter education and engagement.
"In essence, the committee's report sets out how those
responsible for administering local government elections can
ensure that the people of Scotland have confidence that a vote
cast is a vote counted."
Among the committee's other recommendations are -
* Further investigation of the Northern Ireland model and chief
returning officer equivalent should be carried out with a view to
considering it for Scotland.
* Ballot papers should be easy to complete and result in a fair
reflection of the views of the voter.
* More consistent and rigorous training of information officers
and improved voter information campaigns through public forums and
school events.
* A scrutiny role for the committee on the work of the Elections
Steering Group and a chief returning officer.
* Exploration by the Scottish Government into greater use of
postal voting as a means of improving voter participation.
Background
The Local Government and Communities Committee
agreed at its meeting of 7 November 2007 to take oral evidence on
the content of the Gould report and to consider its
recommendations in relation to their impact on local government elections.
For public information enquiries, contact:
0131 348 5000;
Textphone: 0131 558 7676, RNID Type talk calls welcome
Email:
sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk