I welcome the opportunity to give evidence to the committee on the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill. I extend my thanks to all those who have given their time and expertise during what has been a compressed timetable for the development of the bill. The committee heard evidence last week from many of those involved and I was pleased to note that they welcomed what we have made of their advice.
The Scottish Parliament decision to extend the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds for the referendum—and the subsequent participation of that age group—has been widely seen as a major step forward in democratic participation and the democratic process.
Your report into the operation of the referendum concluded that the decision to lower the voting age had been a success. That assessment has been repeated on a number of occasions in Parliament since last September, not least during consideration of the order made under sections 30 and 63 of the Scotland Act 1998 that transferred the necessary powers to allow us to lower the voting age to 16 in time for the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections. The order was approved unanimously by the Parliament and came into force on 20 March. Less than two weeks later, I introduced the bill.
The powers that were transferred to the Scottish Parliament by the section 30 order are tightly drawn and will be followed in due course by full powers over Scottish Parliament and local government elections, as recommended by the Smith commission. In the meantime, the powers that we have allow the reduction in the minimum voting age to 16 for Scottish Parliament and local government elections, and allow the Scottish Parliament to make adjustments to registration arrangements to give effect to the reduction in voting age.
Through the bill and the associated practical arrangements, we are seeking to balance transparency of the electoral process with the need to treat young people’s data with sensitivity and to ensure that the youngest voters can participate fully in the democratic process. The arrangements are intended to put young voters on an equal footing with all other voters, not least because this is now intended to be a permanent reduction in the voting age for Scottish Parliament and local government elections, while ensuring that their data is treated sensitively and responsibly.
The bill’s general approach is therefore to replicate current registration practice for the youngest voters as far as possible. It does that by applying existing electoral legislation, amending that where necessary to take account of the reduction in the voting age to 16. The proposed arrangements also reflect the introduction of individual electoral registration and draw on the success and the experience of the referendum.
The bill provides for restrictions on access to, and disclosure of, information on 14 and 15-year-olds, and provides for enhanced arrangements for particular groups of vulnerable young people, such as those who need to register anonymously and those who need to register by way of a declaration of local connection rather than by using their current address.
The arrangements that we put in place for the referendum were well received and supported by MSPs, child protection groups and electoral administrators before and after the referendum. As the committee would expect, the provisions in the bill are designed to create broadly the same effect as the arrangements that proved such a success last September. We propose to do some things differently in this bill where that makes sense for the voter and provides for a more effective and efficient process for electoral administrators.
I look forward to discussing the bill’s proposals with the committee.