Guidance on the form and
content of constituency and
regional ballot papers for the
Scottish Parliamentary election
Form of the constituency ballot paper
The whole space between the top and bottom of the ballot paper, i.e. the area
in which the candidates’ details are printed, should be divided equally. You
should use the maximum possible sizes of font. To ensure consistency, the
same font size must be used for each candidate for each equivalent line.
The style and directions for printing the ballot paper are found in Form J of the
Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010.
The official mark:




can be any mark that the Returning Officer considers provides
appropriate security
can be the same for all ballot papers at an election or different marks
may be used for different purposes at the same election
cannot be re-used for another Scottish Parliamentary election within
seven years
should be visible on the front of the ballot paper
Heading and instructions
Each ballot paper is to be printed with a heading and an instruction to the
voter. These are to be printed in a sans-serif font, such as Arial, and in a font
size of at least 16 point.
The heading to be printed is: Ballot paper to elect the member of the Scottish
Parliament for the [constituency name] Constituency
The instruction to be printed is: Vote once only in the box opposite the
candidate of your choice using an X
Candidates’ names
The names and descriptions of the candidates are to be printed in a sans serif
font, such as Arial, and in a font size of at least 14 point.
By law, candidates must appear on the ballot paper in the order they are listed
in the statement of persons nominated (i.e. alphabetical order). The surname,
or commonly used surname if supplied, of each candidate should be printed in
bold capital letters and followed by the forename(s) (or commonly used
forename(s)) printed in ordinary type. The exception is if two or more
candidates share the same surname. In this case, the candidates’ forenames
should be printed in small capital letters.
Candidates’ descriptions
A candidate’s description (if any), as stated in the statement of persons
nominated, is to be printed below their name in sentence case.
Emblems
If a candidate standing on behalf of a political party has requested it, the
requested emblem of the party they represent must be included next to their
name. Where a registered emblem is to be printed against a candidate’s
name, it must not exceed two centimetres square. If the candidate supplies a
copy of the emblem, the Returning Officer should ensure that the copy
provided is a precise copy of the emblem registered with the Commission.
Reverse of the ballot paper
The following information is required by law to be included on the reverse of
the ballot paper in the following format:
Ballot paper number and other unique identifying mark
Election for the [constituency name] Constituency on [date of election]
The ballot paper number:



should be unique for each ballot paper at the election
should run consecutively, but it does not have to start at ‘1’
must be printed on the back of the ballot paper (as shown above)
The unique identifying mark:




can be letters and numbers and could be a repeat of the ballot
paper number with the addition of a prefix or suffix
can be, but does not have to be, a barcode
can be re-used at the next election
must be printed on the back of the ballot paper (as shown above)
Form of the regional ballot paper
The whole space between the top and bottom of the ballot paper, i.e. the area
in which the parties and candidates’ details are printed, should be divided
equally. You should use the maximum possible sizes of font. To ensure
consistency, the same font size must be used for each party and candidate for
each equivalent line.
The style and directions for printing the ballot paper are found in Form K of
the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010.
The official mark:




can be any mark that the Returning Officer considers provides
appropriate security
can be the same for all ballot papers at an election or different marks
may be used for different purposes at the same election
cannot be re-used for another Scottish Parliamentary election within
seven years
should be visible on the front of the ballot paper
Heading and instructions
Each ballot paper is to be printed with a heading and an instruction to the
voter. These are to be printed in a sans-serif font, such as Arial, and in a font
size of at least 16 point.
The heading to be printed is: Ballot paper to elect members of the Scottish
Parliament for the [region name] Region
The instruction to be printed is: Vote once only in the box opposite the party or
candidate of your choice using an X
Party and candidate names
The names and descriptions of the parties and candidates are to be printed in
a sans serif font, such as Arial, and in a font size of at least 14 point.
By law, parties and candidates must appear on the ballot paper in the order
they are listed in the statement of persons and parties nominated. The name
of each political party, and the surname of any individual regional candidates,
is to be printed in bold capital letters. An individual regional candidate’s
surname will be followed by their forename(s) (or commonly used
forename(s)) printed in ordinary type. The exception is if two or more
individual regional candidates share the same surname. In this case, the
candidates’ forenames should be printed in small capital letters.
Party and candidate descriptions
The party or candidate’s description (if any), as stated in the statement of
persons and parties nominated, is to be printed below their name in sentence
case.
The only exception is if two or more individual regional candidates have the
same surnames and forenames. In this case, if only one of those candidates
is using the description of “Independent” then this should also be printed in
small capital letters.
Emblems
If a political party has requested it, the requested emblem of the party must be
included next to their name. Where a registered emblem is to be printed
against a party’s name, it must not exceed two centimetres square. If the
Nominating Officer or someone acting on their behalf supplies a copy of the
emblem, the Returning Officer should ensure that the copy provided is a
precise copy of the emblem registered with the Commission.
Reverse of the ballot paper
The following information is required by law to be included on the reverse of
the ballot paper in the following format:
Ballot paper number and other unique identifying mark
Election for the [region name] Region on [date of election]
The ballot paper number:



should be unique for each ballot paper at the election
should run consecutively, but it does not have to start at ‘1’
must be printed on the back of the ballot paper (as shown above)
The unique identifying mark:




can be letters and numbers and could be a repeat of the ballot
paper number with the addition of a prefix or suffix
can be, but does not have to be, a barcode
can be re-used at the next election
must be printed on the back of the ballot paper (as shown above)