FOI Request - Postal Votes for Prisoners

Request 101003963325

1. Under section 5 of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Act 2020, the franchise in Scottish Parliament and local government elections was extended to those convicted persons in Scottish prisons and young offenders institutions serving sentences of up to 12 months. Section 7 of the Act allows that such persons are effectively granted an absent vote at the home address at which they were resident before being detained. Section 9 sets our provisions that allow for postal or proxy voting for such persons.

a) People remanded in custody pre-trial or pre-sentence were already entitled to vote by similar means.

2. Under the Representation of the People (Absent Voting at Local Government Elections)(Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021, returning officers are obliged to send an official poll card or notification to persons at the place at which they are being detained rather than at the address at which they are registered to vote.

With this in mind, please advise:

a) At the most recent local elections in Scotland, in May 2022, how many postal votes did Moray Council deliver to people in each of the three categories above in Scotland?

b) What steps are Moray Council taking to encourage people in each of the three categories above who are eligible to vote at the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May 2026 are registered to vote and able to exercise this right?