Voting and the Single Transferable Vote
The VoteScotland website created by the Scottish Government and the Electoral Commission for the 2007 elections at contains a wealth of information about voting and the Single Transferable Vote system used for Local Council Elections. This site can be accessed at www.votescotland.org
Local Government Elections
Responsibility for local government in Scotland lies with the Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers are responsible for issuing rules for the conduct of local government elections. Local authorities themselves are responsible for organising and conducting these elections.
Scottish Parliament Elections
The Secretary of State for Scotland is responsible for the conduct and funding of elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scotland Office website contains further information on the Scottish Parliament elections and can be accessed at the Scotland Office website.
Legislation
The legislation which provides for the conduct of local government elections is The Scottish Local Government Elections Rules 2007. Where the local government elections are combined with the Scottish Parliament elections, these Rules are modified by The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc) Order 2007. Both the Rules and the Order can be found at the Office of Public Sector Information website.
The Scottish Government has introduced the Scottish Local Government Elections Bill 2009 to the Scottish Parliament, which seeks to decouple future Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. Please see the page on this for more information.
The Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is an independent body that was set up by the UK Parliament in November 2000. The Commission aims to increase public confidence in the democratic process within the United Kingdom - and encourage people to take part - by modernising the electoral process, promoting public awareness of electoral matters, and regulating political parties. The Electoral Commission's website contains information for voters and candidates.
The Scottish Parliament
Full information about the Scottish Parliament can be found on the Scottish Parliament website.
Guidance for Returning Officers and Election Office Staff
The Electoral Commission has produced the following guidance to assist Returning Officers and polling station staff to carry out their duties efficiently and effectively:
- Returning Officer's Guidance Manual
- Polling Station Handbook
Both documents are available from the Electoral Commission website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk
Code of practice for observers at local government elections
Legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in August 2006 allows both individuals and organisations to observe proceedings at local government elections in Scotland. Details of how to be an observer at these elections can be found in the code of practice. The code closely follows the content of the code issued by the Electoral Commission for use at Parliamentary elections.
Forms 
A range of forms for use at Local Government Elections are available from the electoral commission's website at www.electoralcommission.co.uk