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| Electoral watchdog criticises slow Scottish elections turnout figure | Electoral watchdog criticises slow Scottish elections turnout figure |
| (7 months later) | |
| It was a peculiar feature of last May's council elections that no-one had a clear idea of the turnout: the Scottish National party and Labour both claimed the laurels, in different ways. The SNP claimed the most seats nationally, and Labour claimed the biggest prize, Glasgow. | It was a peculiar feature of last May's council elections that no-one had a clear idea of the turnout: the Scottish National party and Labour both claimed the laurels, in different ways. The SNP claimed the most seats nationally, and Labour claimed the biggest prize, Glasgow. |
| We knew immediately how many seats were won, or lost. For any politician seeking election, that would be uppermost. As this blog has reported before, what was less of a concern was the actual size of their mandate. How many people voted? How healthy and vibrant is Scottish democracy? | We knew immediately how many seats were won, or lost. For any politician seeking election, that would be uppermost. As this blog has reported before, what was less of a concern was the actual size of their mandate. How many people voted? How healthy and vibrant is Scottish democracy? |
| We finally know for sure, nearly 19 weeks after polling day, that the turnout was 39.8% thanks to the Electoral Commission. And with it comes a very polite but pointed request from the commission: next time, please publish a national turnout figure, quickly. | We finally know for sure, nearly 19 weeks after polling day, that the turnout was 39.8% thanks to the Electoral Commission. And with it comes a very polite but pointed request from the commission: next time, please publish a national turnout figure, quickly. |
| In its official report (pdf), the commission recommends that the Electoral Management board (EMB), set up "to bring clear benefits to the voters in Scotland through the delivery of better and more consistent electoral administration", should really take this on board: | In its official report (pdf), the commission recommends that the Electoral Management board (EMB), set up "to bring clear benefits to the voters in Scotland through the delivery of better and more consistent electoral administration", should really take this on board: |
| In the days following the election a debate took place amongst politicians and in the media as to who had 'won' the election and what the national turnout had been. | In the days following the election a debate took place amongst politicians and in the media as to who had 'won' the election and what the national turnout had been. |
| No one body is charged with providing the 'national result' in the sense of who amongst the parties had won most first preferences, and what the percentage share of the poll was for the various parties at a national level. It is of course the duty of the individual 32 returning officers to declare and publish the 353 ward results. | No one body is charged with providing the 'national result' in the sense of who amongst the parties had won most first preferences, and what the percentage share of the poll was for the various parties at a national level. It is of course the duty of the individual 32 returning officers to declare and publish the 353 ward results. |
| We recommend that the EMB is best placed to provide such national information, as it is the coordinating body for returning officers and particularly in the context of an e-counted council election, could easily collate and provide such data. | We recommend that the EMB is best placed to provide such national information, as it is the coordinating body for returning officers and particularly in the context of an e-counted council election, could easily collate and provide such data. |
| What emerged in the wake of May's elections was finger-pointing and shrugging from the official bodies concerned: the EMB said it was not legally required to set agreed criteria for reporting turnout; the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities batted it back to everyone but itself; the Scottish government bounced it off by saying it had asked the Electoral Commission to study this. | What emerged in the wake of May's elections was finger-pointing and shrugging from the official bodies concerned: the EMB said it was not legally required to set agreed criteria for reporting turnout; the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities batted it back to everyone but itself; the Scottish government bounced it off by saying it had asked the Electoral Commission to study this. |
| The commission dutifully has done. But, to further inhibit its work, the commission itself it has no legal remit to require turnout statistics. It instead had to struggle with idiosyncratic policies which individual returning officers used. Some discounted spoilt ballots from the turnout (a worrying piece of bureaucratic sanitising). Some published theirs immediately on counting day; others didn't. | The commission dutifully has done. But, to further inhibit its work, the commission itself it has no legal remit to require turnout statistics. It instead had to struggle with idiosyncratic policies which individual returning officers used. Some discounted spoilt ballots from the turnout (a worrying piece of bureaucratic sanitising). Some published theirs immediately on counting day; others didn't. |
| This is doubly odd given the anxieties before polling day about whether 2012 would see the worst voting figures in living memory. With 3,983,185 registered voters, some party figures feared then it could hit 30% or less – that would raise questions about the election's legitimacy. Even Scottish government ministers were expecting somewhere near 35%. | This is doubly odd given the anxieties before polling day about whether 2012 would see the worst voting figures in living memory. With 3,983,185 registered voters, some party figures feared then it could hit 30% or less – that would raise questions about the election's legitimacy. Even Scottish government ministers were expecting somewhere near 35%. |
| In the event, though it was the lowest figure since Scotland's 32 single tier authorities came into being, 17 years ago in 1995, it was marginally better than the Welsh turnout of 39% and noticeably higher than England's of 31.1% (though English local democracy is bedevilled by highly varied annual election cycles and multiple layers of local government in some areas) | In the event, though it was the lowest figure since Scotland's 32 single tier authorities came into being, 17 years ago in 1995, it was marginally better than the Welsh turnout of 39% and noticeably higher than England's of 31.1% (though English local democracy is bedevilled by highly varied annual election cycles and multiple layers of local government in some areas) |
| The Electoral Reform Society, a small charity with a tiny staff in Scotland, carried out its own turnout survey more quickly. In July, it arrived at a total Scottish figure of 38.7%, a marginally different result some 600 short of the Electoral Commission figure. So even it struggled to precisely nail down what the councils had apparently accurately counted. | The Electoral Reform Society, a small charity with a tiny staff in Scotland, carried out its own turnout survey more quickly. In July, it arrived at a total Scottish figure of 38.7%, a marginally different result some 600 short of the Electoral Commission figure. So even it struggled to precisely nail down what the councils had apparently accurately counted. |
| Willie Sullivan, the ERS Scotland director, said this now put the onus on the Scottish government to follow through on its pledge in July to act on the commission's recommendations: | Willie Sullivan, the ERS Scotland director, said this now put the onus on the Scottish government to follow through on its pledge in July to act on the commission's recommendations: |
| The fact that no public body was responsible for publishing verified national figures on turnout, number of votes to each party and seats won post the 2012 election meant there was confusion over turnout and voters were subjected to spin on counter-spin on how the parties had done. | The fact that no public body was responsible for publishing verified national figures on turnout, number of votes to each party and seats won post the 2012 election meant there was confusion over turnout and voters were subjected to spin on counter-spin on how the parties had done. |
| Public knowledge of the turnout and results of the election are crucial end points in the voters experience of the election. Only a completed story maintains interest and confidence in the democratic process. | Public knowledge of the turnout and results of the election are crucial end points in the voters experience of the election. Only a completed story maintains interest and confidence in the democratic process. |
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