Technical Notes 2022, Issue 150 - Electoral Commission Report on Local Government Elections – May 2022

1. The purpose of this Technical Note is to present Members with a short summary of the Electoral Commission’s Report on the conduct of the Scottish Local Government Elections in May 2022, which in the Commission’s words, “These findings are a testament to the hard work of electoral administrators.”  

2. The Report found that the vast majority of voters were satisfied with the process of voting and almost all were able to use their preferred method.  Polling station voters felt confident that they could vote safely in person.  Most voters said they found it easy to fill in their ballot paper.  However, while the level of spoilt ballots across Scotland has declined since the 2017 council elections, the number increased in some wards and further targeted action is needed to address this.  The wards identified by the Electoral Commission are located in Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire & Dundee and ranged from 5.64% to 4.08% of ballot papers being rejected.  For comparison purposes, across the whole of East Dunbartonshire – 733 ballot papers were rejected in 2017 reducing to 520 in 2022 - the range of rejected votes across all wards  from 0.75% to 2.65% in 2017 and 0.78% to 1.9% in 2022.

3. The Report found that Returning Officers took all the necessary steps set out in law to support disabled voters at the poll, and the Electoral Commission’s public opinion research found increased levels of satisfaction amongst disabled voters.

4. In relation to candidates, the Report also highlights that some candidates reported experiences of intimidation and abuse at these elections, which is not acceptable.  The Electoral Commission will work with the Scottish & UK governments, Police Scotland and the wider electoral community to make sure we understand what is driving candidate abuse and intimidation, and to ensure this issue is addressed as a matter of urgency.

5. The full Report is available via the following link.
Electoral Commission Report on Local Government Elections – May 2022