This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Key plans for 2007 local government elections
13/12/2006
Regulations outlining key processes for the May 2007 local government election were laid in Parliament by the Scottish Executive today.
The key regulations are:
- The local government ballot paper, which will list candidates alphabetically by surname;
- The detail of the Single Transferable Vote system - the regulations will allow the count to be conducted electronically; and
- Introduction of changes made in the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services Act 2006 and the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
These regulations will help Returning Officers and other electoral administrators prepare for the combined election on May 3 2007.
The Scottish Executive has worked closely with the Scotland Office to develop plans for next year's local government and parliamentary elections.
Background:
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Service (Scotland) Bill both introduce a range of measures to increase the security of elections.
These include the introduction of new offences relating to the provision of false information and applications for absent votes.
The subsequent introduction of personal identifiers for postal and proxy votes and the ability to conduct an accurate, efficient and complete cross-check after the May 2007 elections will further reinforce these measures.
The overall percentage of those voting by post at the 2005 General Election was just over 10 per cent of valid votes cast and there is an upward trend in postal voting.
The format for the local government ballot paper was decided by the Local Government and Transport Committee on December 12.
The Executive is considering commissioning further research on the format of the ballot paper before Parliament considers the regulations in January.
The introduction of e-counting will provide quick, accurate and reliable results in the 2007 elections. The results will be available as soon as is practicable after the announcement of the Parliamentary poll.
There may be particular circumstances in which a Returning Officer will need to arrange for a longer break before the start of the local government count and they will continue to have the flexibility to do so.