SECTION 6: Poll for regional members.
Purpose and Effect
This section is concerned with the election of regional members. It allows electors to cast a vote, in a poll for regional members, either in favour of a registered political party that has submitted a regional list or an individual candidate.
General
This section is linked to sections 7 and 8 on the return of regional members.
Parliamentary Consideration
| Stage | Date | Column |
|---|---|---|
| CC | 28-Jan-98 | 413 |
| CR | 12-May-98 | 225 |
| LR | 22-Oct-98 | 1654 |
Details of Provisions
Subsection (1) states that this section and sections 7 and 8 are about the return of regional members at a general election.
Subsection (2) provides for the holding of polls in each constituency, at which an elector may cast a vote (a “regional vote”) for either a registered political party which has put forward a regional list or for an individual candidate for return as a regional member for that region.
The voting system allows the electors to vote for a party that has submitted a regional list but not a particular individual named in it. The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/787) for the rules relating to the publication of the names of those standing in the regional polls.
Subsection (3) provides that the right to vote for a registered political party list or individual in a region is in addition to the right to vote for a constituency candidate. Electors are, therefore, entitled to cast 2 votes but there is no obligation on them to do so.
