| COUNTING STAFF |
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| 1. Introduction |
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| On 6 May,
1999, a unique and historic event will take place across
Scotland. Alongside Local Government elections, the first
elections to the new Scottish Parliament will take place. |
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| Elections
held in Scotland have traditionally been carried out
using the "first past the post" voting system.
Indeed, on 6 May, the Local Government elections will
continue to use the existing system. |
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| However for
the Scottish Parliament elections, Scotland will
introduce for the first time an element of Proportional
Representation to reflect the voting preferences of the
electorate more accurately. |
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| This new
system, together with the combination of polls for the
Local Government elections, will obviously mean changes
to the way we normally carry out elections. |
| The new
procedures are not complicated but because two elections
are being held on the same day, it is important that you
understand key elements of the voting system. |
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| This
guidance manual and a training video have been produced
to give you an insight into the new voting system, detail
the important changes to procedure, and show you how to
make 6 May a success. |
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| 2. What's New - At a glance |
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| The New Electoral System for the Scottish
Parliament Elections |
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| The voter
has two votes: a constituency vote for a candidate and a
regional vote for a Political Party or Candidate standing
as an Individual (if there are any). The Constituency
ballot paper is PURPLE and the Regional ballot paper is
PEACH. Every elector should be given both ballot papers
unless they request just one or neither of them. |
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