Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill - Financial Memorandum
Overview
The Bill makes several changes to the law affecting Scottish Parliament elections and Scottish local government elections.
These changes include:
- allowing certain foreign nationals (people who have the right to live in Scotland but do not have British citizenship) to stand for election;
- creating a new rule that would prevent a person from standing as a candidate if they have committed an offence involving the intimidation of election staff or people standing for election;
- changes to how much money can be spent during an election campaign, especially in relation to groups or campaigners that are not a political party or a candidate;
- enhancing the Parliament’s Presiding Officer’s power to delay Scottish Parliament elections, and by-elections, in emergency situations;
- making it easier to arrange election pilots, which aim to increase voting engagement;
- allowing the Scottish Government to fund activities to increase democratic engagement;
- clarifying the information that needs to be on digital election materials posted by an organisation that isn’t a regulated campaigner;
- creating an offence if people do not follow the rules on the information that should be on digital election materials;
- changing the deadline date for the Boundaries Scotland report on local government boundaries and the number of councillors in those boundaries from 31 December 2028 to 30 April 2031;
- changing the ways in which Scottish Parliament scrutinises the activities of the Electoral Commission in relation to Scottish Parliament and local elections;
- making the Electoral Management Board for Scotland an organisation that is formally constituted in law with certain obligations.
Financial Memorandum
As with all Bills, the Finance and Public Administration Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM).
Read the FM for this Bill: Financial Memorandum
Your Views
The call for views closed on 6 March 2024.
The Committee received 4 submissions to its call for views. Read the submissions on Citizen Space.
The Committee agreed to forward the submissions received to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee as part of that Committee's consideration of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill and take no further action.