Number of postal voters in Scotland increases by 38%

Postal voting ballot for the 2021 Scottish Parliament electionsGetty Images

Last year's Scottish Parliament election saw a record number of postal votes

The number of postal voters in Scotland rose by 38% in the year up to December 2021, according to latest figures.

A total of 954,500 voters (22.5% of the total electorate) had registered to vote by post in Scottish Parliament and local government elections.

That represented an increase of 264,100 (38.3%) compared with December 2020.

Sandy Taylor, the head of electoral statistics at the National Records of Scotland, said the sharp rise was "most likely driven by the Covid pandemic".

Scottish voters have experienced 10 different elections and two referendums over the past 10 years.

They will soon be asked to fill out ballot cards for the Scottish council elections, to be held on 5 May. The deadline to register for a postal vote is 19 April.

The latest NRS figures for Scotland's registered voters also showed:

  • The number registered to vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections was 4,245,200, an increase of 36,300 (0.9%) compared with December 2020;

  • Of those, just over 172,100 (4.1% of the total electorate) were EU and other qualifying foreign nationals resident in Scotland;

  • An increase of 4,300 (5.9%) in people aged 16 or 17 registered to vote - with a total of 77,600 - meaning young people now account for 1.8% of Scotland's electorate;

  • The number of people registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections, where the minimum voting age is still 18, was 4,028,700 - an increase of 16,300 (0.4%) on the year before.

NRS
NRS

How does postal voting work?

  • When applying for a postal ballot, voters must provide a signature and date of birth.

  • Postal ballot packs will contain a postal voting statement, which require voters to again provide their signature and date of birth.

  • Returned postal vote packs will be opened and the signatures and dates of birth on the postal voting statement are checked by returning officers and their teams before polling day.

  • Postal vote ballots are kept safe and are never counted before the close of polling on election day.

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