Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020

8 Entitlement to register as an elector before attaining voting age

(1) Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (entitlement to be registered as parliamentary or local government elector) is amended in accordance with subsections (2) and (3).

(2) In subsection (5), after “electors”, in the second place where it occurs, insert “, other than a register of local government electors in Scotland (see subsection (5B)),”.

(3) After subsection (5A) insert—

“(5B) A person otherwise qualified is (despite subsection (3)(d)) entitled to be registered in a register of local government electors in Scotland if the person is 14 years of age or over, but—

(a) the person’s entry in the register must give the date on which the person will attain voting age, and

(b) until the date given in the entry the person shall not by virtue of the entry be treated as an elector for any purposes other than those of an election the date of the poll for which is the date so given or any later date.

(5C) If a person entitled to be registered by virtue of subsection (5B) has an anonymous entry in the register, the references in paragraphs (a) and (b) of that subsection to the person’s entry in the register are to be read as references to the person’s entry in the record of anonymous entries prepared in pursuance of paragraph 8A of schedule 2.”.

(4) Regulation 44 of the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (S.S.I. 2001/497) is amended as follows—

(a) in paragraph (2)(d), after “section 4(5)” insert “or (5B)”,

(b) in paragraph (4)(ii), after “section 4(5)” insert “or (5B)”.