The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2007

The ballot paper: regional candidates

28.—(1) The ballot of every voter at a poll for the return of regional members shall consist of a ballot paper (referred to in these Rules as a “regional ballot paper”).

(2) The following, namely–

(a) the registered political parties shown in the statement required by rule 20; and

(b) the individual candidates shown in that statement,

and no others, shall be entitled to have their names and descriptions inserted in the regional ballot paper.

(3) Every regional ballot paper shall be in the form K set out in the Appendix, and shall be printed in accordance with the directions in that form, and shall contain–

(a) the names or, as the case may be, descriptions of the registered political parties referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(a) (being, in each case, the name or description by which that party wishes to be known for the purposes of the election) as shown in the statement required by rule 20;

(b) the names and, where applicable, descriptions of the individual candidates as shown in the statement required by rule 20; and

(c) a number and unique identifying mark printed on the back.

(4) The order of the names or, as the case may be, descriptions of the registered parties and of the individual candidates in the regional ballot paper shall be the same as in the statement required by rule 20.

(5) If a request has been made to the regional returning officer under rule 7(5) that a registered party’s registered emblem (or, as the case may be, one of the party’s registered emblems) be shown on the ballot paper against that party’s name or description, the ballot paper shall also contain, to the right of the party’s name or description, that emblem.

(6) The regional ballot paper shall be a different colour from the constituency ballot paper.

(7) The regional ballot paper may be printed on the same sheet as a constituency ballot paper.

(8) Where paragraph (7) applies, the sheet comprising the two ballot papers–

(a) shall set out the regional ballot paper and constituency ballot paper as two separate columns on the front of the sheet, with the regional ballot paper to the left of the constituency ballot paper;

(b) shall use different colours on the front for each ballot paper;

(c) need only have one number and one unique identifying mark printed on the back; and

(d) shall have printed at the top of the sheet the words “YOU HAVE TWO VOTES.”.