This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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All party support for VoteScotland
03/01/2007
Scotland's political party leaders joined forces today to mark the four month countdown to the Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections on May 3.
Putting political differences aside, leaders from Scottish Labour, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Conservatives, the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party and Solidarity, united to call on people to make sure they are registered to vote and use their vote in four months time.
The event was organised by VoteScotland, a politically neutral public information campaign backed by the Executive and the Electoral Commission.
Party leaders said today: "New Year is a time for making resolutions and we hope the people of Scotland make a resolution to vote in this year's Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections on May 3."
On behalf of the joint VoteScotland campaign, Andy O'Neill, Head of The Electoral Commission's Scotland office, said:
"We know that most people are really interested in the issues that the Scottish Parliament and Local Government control - from public transport to education and local parks. To have your say on these kinds of issues, you need to use your vote on May 3."
The campaign includes a website with information on how to register and vote, the different voting systems, why voting matters, and aims to engage under-registered voters and those less likely to vote, including young people, some ethnic minority communities and recent homemovers.
There is also a VoteScotland Helpline on 0131 225 0215
Background
On May 3, 2007 there will be two elections in Scotland; one to elect MSPs to the Scottish Parliament, the other to elect councillors for Scotland's 32 councils.
The May elections will be combined. Voters will be given ballot papers for the Scottish Parliament and the Local Government elections
For the local government elections, a new proportional based electoral system known as Single Transferable Vote (STV) will be used for the first time to elect councillors, while the Scottish Parliament elections will again use the Additional Members System (AMS).
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Its mission is to foster public confidence and participation by promoting integrity, involvement and effectiveness in the democratic process
Single Transferable Vote (STV) for local government elections:
A form of proportional representation (PR), STV asks voters to rank listed candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3, 4 and so on). You can vote for as few or as many candidates as you choose. With STV, if the voter's first choice of candidate does not require their vote - having already secured enough votes to be elected - that vote moves (transfers) to the voter's second choice, and so it continues until the required number of candidates are elected.
Additional Member System (AMS) for the Scottish Parliament elections
Under the AMS system, voters have two votes for the Scottish Parliament election - the first to choose a constituency MSP, the second to elect seven regional members from a list of political parties or individual candidates. AMS is a proportional system combining the election of constituency candidates with a vote for a preferred party.