Increase in Scottish Electorate

The number of people registered to vote in elections in Scotland continued to rise, according to figures published today by National Records of Scotland.

The registered electorates for local councils, the Scottish Parliament, the UK Parliament and the European Parliament all increased to their highest ever levels.

That means, with the exception of 2009, Scottish electorates have risen year on year since 2003.

On 10 March, 2014:

• Over 98,000 16 or 17 year olds had been registered to vote in the Independence Referendum. This represents around 80 per cent of the 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland.
• 4.12 million people were registered to vote in the local government and Scottish Parliament elections – an increase of 57,288 (1.4 per cent) compared to 1 December 2012, and is at the highest level ever recorded.
• 4.03 million people were registered to vote in UK Parliament elections – an increase of 41,930 (1.1 per cent).
• 4.04 million people were registered to vote in elections to the European Parliament, an increase of 58,737 (1.5 per cent). On 22 May 2014, a European Parliamentary election will be held.
• The number of European Union (EU) citizens registered to vote in local government and Scottish Parliament elections rose by 15,059 to 94,122 (19.0 per cent). This is likely to underestimate the total number of EU citizens resident in Scotland, since many may not register.

The deadline for registration to vote in the Independence Referendum is 2 September 2014.

The full publication Electoral Statistics Scotland 2013 is available on this website.