On Thurs 7 May elections to the Scottish Parliament take place. Electors across Scotland will be voting to choose MSPs who will represent them in Scotland’s Devolved Parliament. It will also decide which party will form the next Scottish Government.
It is easy to feel sceptical about voting, and thinking your vote does not matter – but every vote counts in this election which uses a form of Proportional Representation. This means that the Scottish Parliament, and its Government will more properly reflect the views of all of Scotland. It’s not a perfect system, but as diverse as viewpoints are in Scotland, this Parliament does its best to include those.
Every elector is given two voting papers – on one they put an X beside who they wish to represent them at a Constituency level – and on the other they put an X beside which political party (or where a person is standing as an independent) they want to vote for at a Regional Level. In the case of Orkney: the Constituency is Orkney, and the Region is Highlands and Islands.
All MSPs are of the same importance. They all have the same voting rights within the Parliament. The Constituency MSP is elected on the First Past the Post system we have come to know through elections to the UK Parliament – whoever gets the most votes wins.
A system of proportional representation is used to work out the distribution of votes which will decide which MSPs are elected for the Region. Each political party on the Regional voting paper has a list of candidates who they have selected. As votes are distributed across the Region, combining it with Constituency share of votes, MSPs will be elected from the party lists, depending on the political party share of the votes. It’s a version of the D’Hondt method.
A total of 129 MSPs will be elected. There’s an explanatory leaflet here if you want to delve deeper: Scottish Parliament Electoral System.
At the end of this article is a list of both the Constituency candidates and the Regional candidates that voters in Orkney can put their X beside.
Both votes are equally important.
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We’ve only had universal suffrage in the UK since 1928. The right to vote was a hard fought one because it was once the preserve of the privileged elite and one which they were keen to keep in their control. Today, in Scotland, if you are aged 16 and over you have the right to decide. Voting does matter.
Orkney Constituency – 5 candidates:
- John William COUPLAND – Reform UK
- Jamie HALCRO JOHNSTON – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Robert Fraser LESLIE – Scottish National Party (SNP)
- Mike MACLEOD – Scottish Labour Party
- Liam Scott MCARTHUR – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Highlands and Islands Region – Candidates:
| Name of Party | Description of Party | Candidates on Party List (in order to be elected) |
|---|---|---|
| Advance UK | 1. Matt Sheppard 2. Steve Skerrett | |
| Alliance to Liberate Scotland | Alliance to Liberate Scotland For Independence | 1. Brian Nugent 2. Andrew Ross Macdonald 3. Kenneth Mackenzie 4. Laura Hansler 5. Allan Duffy 6. Flora Badger |
| Independence for Scotland Party | Independence for Scotland Party, Direct Democracy | 1. Fiona Nelson |
| Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice – Organic, Local, Democratic | 1. Nicola Siddall |
| Reform UK | 1. Vic Currie 2. Max Bannerman 3. Amanda Hampsey 4.Fred Campbell 5.Malcolm McTaggart 6. Jon Whitton 7. John Coupland | |
| Scottish Christian Party “Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship” | 1. Donald MacLeod Boyd | |
| Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party | 1. Tim Eagle 2. Jamie Halcro Johnston 3. Helen Crawford 4. Ruraidh Stewart 5. George Macpherson 6. Peter Wallace 7. Donald Mackenzie 8. Douglas Barnett | |
| Scottish Family Party | Scottish Family Party – Christian values | 1. Kenny Stone 2. Allan MacEachen 3. Rachel Michelle Gibson 4. Eva Morrice 5. Harriet Amelia Mary Woolmore |
| Scottish Green Party | Vote Scottish Greens – Let’s demand better | 1. Ariane Burgess 2. Kristopher Leask 3. Kate Willis 4. Dræyk Van Der Hørn 5.Alex Armitage 6. Anne Thomas 7. Julie Christie |
| Scottish Labour Party | Scottish Labour – Scotland Needs Change | 1. Isla McCay 2. Donald MacKinnon 3. Eva Kestner 4. John Erskine 5. Mike MacLeod 6. Callum George 7. Shaun Fraser 8. David Blair |
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | 1. Morven-May MacCallum 2. Alan Reid 3. Declan Gallacher 4. Angela Margaret MacLean 5. Robert Denis James Rixson 6. Guy Grieve 7. Fiona Bennett | |
| Scottish Libertarian Party | 1. Nathan Lumb | |
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | 1. Maree Todd 2. Robert Leslie 3. Emma Roddick 4. Hannah Mary Goodlad 5. Eilidh Munro 6. Jérémie Fernandes | |
| Scottish Rural Party | 1. Alasdair Fletcher 2. Ruaridh Ormiston | |
| Scottish Socialist Party | Scottish Socialist Party – Independent Socialist Scotland | 1. Willie Hamilton 2. Brenda Nicholson |
| Workers Party of Britain | Workers Party – Scotland | 1. Syed Hussain |
| Independent | Duncan Macpherson; Mick Rice |
Fiona Grahame
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