Referendums (Scotland) Act 2020

1. Introductory Text

2. Referendums

   1. 1. Referendums to which this Act applies

   2. 2. Referendum questions

3. Power to change date of referendum if UK election on same date

   1. 3. Power to change date of referendum if UK election on same date

4. Franchise

   1. 4. Those who are entitled to vote

   2. 5. Those who are subject to a legal incapacity to vote

5. Voting etc.

   1. 6. Provision about voting etc.

6. Conduct

   1. 7. Chief Counting Officer

   2. 8. Other counting officers

   3. 9. Functions of the Chief Counting Officer and other counting officers

   4. 10. Correction of procedural errors

   5. 11. Expenses of counting officers

   6. 12. Conduct rules

7. Campaign

   1. 13. Campaign rules

   2. 14. Monitoring and securing compliance with the campaign rules

   3. 15. Inspection of Electoral Commission’s registers etc.

   4. 16. Campaign rules: general offences

   5. 17. Campaign offences: summary proceedings

   6. 18. Duty of court to report convictions to the Electoral Commission

8. Referendum agents

   1. 19. Referendum agents

9. Observers

   1. 20. Attendance of Electoral Commission at proceedings and observation of working practices

   2. 21. Accredited observers: individuals

   3. 22. Accredited observers: organisations

   4. 23. Attendance and conduct of accredited observers

   5. 24. Code of practice on attendance of observers

10. Information, guidance, advice and encouragement

    1. 25. Information for voters

    2. 26. Guidance

    3. 27. Advice

    4. 28. Encouraging participation

11. Report on referendum

    1. 29. Report on the conduct of the referendum

12. Electoral Commission: administrative provision

    1. 30. Reimbursement of Commission’s costs

    2. 31. Estimates of expenditure

    3. 32. Maladministration

13. Registration

    1. 33. Information about persons aged under 16

    2. 34. Registration officers’ expenses

14. Offences

    1. 35. Offences

    2. 36. Individual culpability for offending by an organisation

15. Power to modify this Act

    1. 37. Power to modify this Act

    2. 38. Power to vary specified sums

16. Legal proceedings

    1. 39. Restriction on legal challenge to referendum result

17. Final provisions

    1. 40. Interpretation

    2. 41. Commencement

    3. 42. Short title

18. 1. SCHEDULE 1

       Further provision about voting in the referendum

       1. PART 1 Manner of voting

          1. 1. Manner of voting

          2. 2. Existing absent voters

          3. 3. Applications for absent vote

          4. 4. Absent voters lists

          5. 5. Proxies

          6. 6. Voting as proxy

          7. 7. Requirements as to applications

          8. 8. Additional requirements as to certain applications to vote by proxy

          9. 9. Grant or refusal of applications

          10. 10. Forms

          11. 11. Personal identifiers record

          12. 12. Marked lists for polling stations

          13. 13. Appeals

       2. PART 2 Registration

          1. 14. Effect of register

          2. 15. Effect of misdescription

          3. 16. Carrying out of registration functions

          4. 17. Alterations in the register of local government electors

          5. 18. The cut-off date

       3. PART 3 Postal voting: issue and receipt of ballot papers

          1. 19. Persons entitled to be present at issue and receipt of postal ballot papers

          2. 20. Notification of requirement of secrecy

          3. 21. Time when postal ballot papers are to be issued

          4. 22. Issue of postal ballot papers

          5. 23. Refusal to issue postal ballot paper

          6. 24. Envelopes

          7. 25. Sealing up of completed corresponding number lists and security of special lists

          8. 26. Payment of postage on postal ballot papers

          9. 27. Spoilt postal ballot papers

          10. 28. Lost postal ballot papers

          11. 29. Superseded postal ballot papers

          12. 30. Notice of opening of postal ballot paper envelopes

          13. 31. Boxes and receptacles

          14. 32. Receipt of covering envelopes and collection of postal votes

          15. 33. Opening of postal voters box

          16. 34. Opening of covering envelopes

          17. 35. Confirmation of receipt of postal voting statement

          18. 36. Procedure in relation to postal voting statements: personal identifier verification

          19. 37. Opening of ballot paper envelopes

          20. 38. Retrieval of cancelled postal ballot papers

          21. 39. Lists of provisionally rejected postal ballot papers

          22. 40. Checking of lists kept under paragraph 39

          23. 41. Sealing of receptacles

          24. 42. Forwarding of documents

          25. 43. Power of Chief Counting Officer to prescribe

          26. 44. Interpretation of Part

       4. PART 4 Supply of register of local government electors etc.

          1. 45. Supply of free copy of register of local government electors etc. to counting officers

          2. 46. Supply of free copy of register of local government electors etc. to Electoral Commission

          3. 47. Supply of free copy of register of local government electors etc. to permitted participants

          4. 48. Dates of birth to be omitted from copies of register supplied

          5. 49. Supply of data

          6. 50. General restriction on use of registration documents and information contained in them

          7. 51. Offence in relation to disclosure of registration documents

          8. 52. Destruction of copies of the register of local government electors etc.

       5. PART 5 Supply of marked register of local government electors etc.

          1. 53. Supply of marked register of local government electors etc. to designated organisations

          2. 54. Fee for supply of marked register of local government electors etc.

    2. SCHEDULE 2

       Conduct rules

       1. 1. Publication of notice of the referendum

       2. 2. Hours of polling

       3. 3. The ballot

       4. 4. Printing of ballot papers

       5. 5. The corresponding number list

       6. 6. Security marking

       7. 7. Use of schools and public rooms for polling and counting votes

       8. 8. Postal ballot papers

       9. 9. Provision of polling stations

       10. 10. Appointment of presiding officers and clerks

       11. 11. Issue of poll cards

       12. 12. Loan of equipment for referendum

       13. 13. Equipment of polling stations

       14. 14. Appointment of polling and counting agents

       15. 15. Admission to polling station

       16. 16. Notification of requirement of secrecy

       17. 17. Keeping of order at polling station

       18. 18. Sealing of ballot boxes

       19. 19. Questions to be put to voters

       20. 20. Challenge of voter

       21. 21. Voting procedure

       22. 22. Votes marked by presiding officer

       23. 23. Voting by persons with disabilities

       24. 24. Tendered ballot papers

       25. 25. Spoilt ballot papers

       26. 26. Correction of errors on polling day

       27. 27. Adjournment of poll in case of riot

       28. 28. Procedure on close of poll

       29. 29. Attendance at counting of votes

       30. 30. The count

       31. 31. Rejected ballot papers

       32. 32. Counting the votes

       33. 33. Decisions on ballot papers

       34. 34. Re-counts

       35. 35. Declaration of result

       36. 36. Sealing up of ballot papers

       37. 37. Delivery of papers

       38. 38. Retention and public inspection of papers

       39. 39. Retention and public inspection of certifications

       40. 40. Orders for production of documents

       41. 41. Power of Chief Counting Officer to prescribe

    3. SCHEDULE 3

       Campaign rules

       1. PART 1 Interpretation

          1. 1. Interpretation of schedule

       2. PART 2 Permitted participants and designated organisations

          1. 2. Permitted participants

          2. 3. Further provision about declarations under paragraph 2

          3. 4. Unincorporated associations with offensive or similar names

          4. 5. Further provision about responsible persons

          5. 6. Register of declarations under paragraph 2

          6. 7. Designated organisations

          7. 8. Applications for designation under paragraph 7

          8. 9. Designated organisation’s right to use rooms for holding public meetings

          9. 10. Supplementary provisions about use of rooms for public meetings

       3. PART 3 Referendum expenses

          1. 11. Referendum expenses

          2. 12. Expenses qualifying where incurred for referendum purposes

          3. 13. Notional referendum expenses

          4. 14. Restriction on incurring referendum expenses

          5. 15. Restriction on payments in respect of referendum expenses

          6. 16. Restriction on making claims in respect of referendum expenses

          7. 17. Disputed claims

          8. 18. Rights of creditors

          9. 19. General restriction on referendum expenses

          10. 20. Special restrictions on referendum expenses by permitted participants

          11. 21. Referendum expenses incurred as part of common plan

          12. 22. Returns as to referendum expenses

          13. 23. Auditor’s report on return

          14. 24. Delivery of returns to Electoral Commission

          15. 25. Declaration of responsible person as to return under paragraph 22

          16. 26. Public inspection of returns under paragraph 22

       4. PART 4 Publications

          1. 27. Restriction on publication etc. of promotional material by central and local government etc.

          2. 28. Details to appear on referendum material

          3. 29. Display of advertisements

       5. PART 5 Control of donations

          1. 30. Operation and interpretation of this Part

          2. 31. Donations: general rules

          3. 32. Sponsorship

          4. 33. Payments etc. not to be regarded as donations

          5. 34. Value of donations

          6. 35. Prohibition on accepting donations from impermissible donors

          7. 36. Acceptance or return of donations

          8. 37. Return of donation where donor unidentifiable

          9. 38. Forfeiture of donations made by impermissible or unidentifiable donors

          10. 39. Evasion of restrictions on donations

          11. 40. Statement of relevant donations

          12. 41. Donations from permissible donors

          13. 42. Donations from impermissible or unidentifiable donors

          14. 43. Donation reports during referendum period

          15. 44. Declaration of responsible person as to donation reports under paragraph 43

          16. 45. Public inspection of donation reports under paragraph 43

       6. PART 6 Control of loans and credit

          1. 46. Operation of Part

          2. 47. Regulated transactions

          3. 48. Valuation of regulated transaction

          4. 49. Authorised participants

          5. 50. Regulated transaction involving unauthorised participant

          6. 51. Guarantees and securities: unauthorised participant

          7. 52. Transfer to unauthorised participant invalid

          8. 53. Offences

          9. 54. Penalties

          10. 55. Statement of regulated transactions

          11. 56. Information about authorised participants

          12. 57. Identity of unauthorised participants

          13. 58. Details of transactions

          14. 59. Changes

          15. 60. Total value of non-recordable transactions

          16. 61. Transaction reports during referendum period

          17. 62. Declaration of responsible person as to transaction reports under paragraph 61

          18. 63. Public inspection of transaction reports under paragraph 61

          19. 64. Non-disclosure with intent to conceal

          20. 65. Proceedings under paragraphs 50 and 64

          21. 66. Interpretation

    4. SCHEDULE 4

       Campaign rules: investigatory powers of the Electoral Commission

       1. 1. Power to require disclosure of documents etc.

       2. 2. Inspection warrants

       3. 3. Powers in relation to suspected offences or contraventions

       4. 4. Document disclosure orders

       5. 5. Information disclosure orders

       6. 6. Retention of documents delivered under paragraph 4

       7. 7. Power to make copies and records

       8. 8. Authorisation to be in writing

       9. 9. Documents in electronic form

       10. 10. Legal professional privilege

       11. 11. Admissibility of statements

       12. 12. Offences

       13. 13. Guidance by Commission

       14. 14. Information about use of investigatory powers in Commission’s report

       15. 15. Interpretation

    5. SCHEDULE 5

       Campaign rules: civil sanctions

       1. PART 1 Fixed monetary penalties

          1. 1. Imposition of fixed monetary penalties

          2. 2. Representations and appeals etc.

          3. 3. Information to be included in notices under paragraph 2

          4. 4. Late payment

          5. 5. Fixed monetary penalties: criminal proceedings and conviction

       2. PART 2 Discretionary requirements

          1. 6. Imposition of discretionary requirements

          2. 7. Representations and appeals etc.

          3. 8. Information to be included in notices under paragraph 7

          4. 9. Discretionary requirements: criminal conviction

          5. 10. Compliance and restoration certificates

          6. 11. Failure to comply with discretionary requirements

          7. 12. Late payment

       3. PART 3 Stop notices

          1. 13. Imposition of stop notices

          2. 14. Information to be included in stop notices

          3. 15. Completion certificates

          4. 16. Appeals etc.

          5. 17. Failure to comply with stop notice

       4. PART 4 Enforcement undertakings

          1. 18. Enforcement undertakings

          2. 19. Enforcement undertakings: further provision

          3. 20. Compliance certificate

          4. 21. Appeals

       5. PART 5 General and supplemental

          1. 22. Restrictions on combination of sanctions

          2. 23. Withdrawal or variation of notice

          3. 24. Use of statements made compulsorily

          4. 25. Unincorporated associations

          5. 26. Guidance as to enforcement

          6. 27. Recovery of penalties etc.

          7. 28. Payment of penalties etc. into Scottish Consolidated Fund

          8. 29. Reports on use of civil sanctions

          9. 30. Disclosure of information

          10. 31. Powers of sheriff

       6. PART 6 Interpretation

          1. 32. In this schedule— “completion certificate” has the meaning given in...

       7. PART 7 Listed campaign offences

    6. SCHEDULE 6

       Offences

       1. 1. Personation

       2. 2. Other voting offences

       3. 3. Imitation poll cards

       4. 4. Offences relating to applications for postal and proxy votes

       5. 5. Breach of official duty

       6. 6. Tampering with ballot papers etc.

       7. 7. Requirement of secrecy

       8. 8. Prohibition on publication of exit polls

       9. 9. Payments to voters for exhibition of referendum notices

       10. 10. Treating

       11. 11. Undue influence

       12. 12. Bribery

       13. 13. Disturbances at public meetings

       14. 14. Illegal canvassing by police officers

       15. 15. Penalties for corrupt practices

       16. 16. Prosecutions for illegal practices

       17. 17. Conviction of illegal practice on charge of corrupt practice etc.

       18. 18. Incapacity to hold public or judicial office in Scotland

       19. 19. Prohibition of paid canvassers

       20. 20. Providing money for illegal purposes

       21. 21. Prosecutions for illegal employment or illegal payment

    7. SCHEDULE 7

       Interpretation