Independence referendum well run, Electoral Commission reports

A well run referendum, with high levels of voter satisfaction, is the Electoral Commission's verdict on Scotland's independence referendum.

Published today, the Commission's Report on the referendum held on 18 September 2014 identifies important lessons from Scotland about how to run future referendums successfully, including the expected referendum on further devolution in Wales and a possible referendum on UK membership of the European Union. It makes a total of 23 recommendations, from the timing of legislation to instructions to voters on folding hteir ballot papers.

The report concludes that the referendum was well run by the Chief Counting Ofiicer, Mary Pitcaithly and her counting officer and electoral registration officer colleagues, "because of careful planning (in part possible because of existing administrative structures in Scotland), sufficient resourcing and careful delivery of the administrative process through much hard work by all those involved". In this connection it commends the role of the Electoral Management Board, recommending that its statutory remit is extended to Scottish, UK and European parliamentary elections.

It also commends the Scottish Government and Parliament for ensuring that the legislation for the referendum was in place well before the poll. In contrast to the May 2011 referendum on the UK parliamentary voting system, where the legislation was passed just three months ahead of the poll, legislation for the Scottish referendum was passed nine months before polling day. This underpinned the effective delivery of the referendum, giving adequate time for administrators and campaigners to plan for their respective roles. The Commission recommends that legislation regulating the franchise, the campaign or the conduct of the poll, including secondary legislation, should be in place at least six months before it needs to be used.

The report states that at 84.6%, the turnout at the referendum was the highest for any Scotland-wide poll since universal suffrage, and the Commission found that 94% of voters who cast their vote at a polling station and 98 % of voters who cast a vote by post were satisfied with the process. This was particularly noteworthy since the Commission’s research also found that of those who reported voting at the referendum, 10% claimed to have voted for the first time.

John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner for Scotland, commented: “On almost every measure of participation the referendum exceeded anything we have seen before, and people overwhelmingly said they found the experience of voting positive. This is thanks to the commitment and hard work of those running the referendum, but it also provides a lesson in how to legislate and plan for referendums that policy makers across the UK should learn from.”

A total of 4,283,938 people were registered to vote in the referendum, 109,593 of them aged 16 or 17 on the day of the poll. Of this age group, 75% reported having voted at the referendum, 97% of whom said they intended to vote again in future elections and referendums.

Mr McCormick observed: “It’ll be for the relevant Parliament to decide what the franchise should be for any future election or referendum, but our report shows how it can be extended in a way that ensures 16 and 17 year olds can participate fully. Anyone considering lowering the voting age should read our report carefully and learn from how it was done in Scotland.”

In order to lower the voting age, the report says, it will be necessary to:

• consider the timing of the annual canvass of voters so that young people are fully included in it;
• ensure that robust plans are in place for registering and conducting public awareness activities with any new voters; and
• consider how the data of people not yet 16 will be protected.

The Commission has also highlighted that, whilst the date of any future referendum in the UK should be considered on a case by case basis, for referendums on high profile issues likely to attract cross-party campaigning, such as on the UK’s membership of the EU, the vote should not be held on the same day as other polls. This would help ensure that campaigners are able to plan their activity more effectively and would enable voters to focus on the issues at stake in the referendum.