Increase in Scottish Electorate

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

Announcing the number of people on the electoral roll on 1 December 2011, the Registrar General for Scotland, George MacKenzie, said:

“More people are now registered to vote in Scotland. Between 2010 and 2011, the registered electorates for local councils, the Scottish Parliament, the UK Parliament and the European Parliament all went up by between 0.3 and 0.6 per cent.”

On December 1, 2011:

4.01 million people were registered to vote in the local government and Scottish Parliament elections – an increase of 23,250 (0.6 per cent) compared to December 1, 2010;
3.94 million people were registered to vote in UK Parliament elections – an increase of 12,613 (0.3 per cent);
3.94 million people were registered to vote in elections to the European Parliament, an increase of 12,407 (0.3 per cent).

The number of EU citizens registered to vote in local government and Scottish Parliament elections continued to rise (by 9,945 since 2010 – just over 17%) to 67,949. This is likely to underestimate the total number of EU citizens resident in Scotland, since many may not register. Latest estimates put the number of EU citizens from continental Europe living in Scotland at around double that number.

The full publication, Electoral Statistics - 1st December 2011, is available on this website.