Ballots to spell out need for 'X'

There was some confusion about ballot papers in the 2007 Scottish elections

Ballot papers for European Parliament elections are to make it extra clear voters have to put an "X" in the box.

It follows confusion in the Scottish 2007 elections when voters used an X to vote for an MSP but had to number councillors in order of preference.

The wording at the top of ballot papers for MEPs is to be changed to read: "Vote once (x) in one blank box."

The change, in draft regulations going through Parliament, was made at the request of the Electoral Commission.

But a second request to consider choices numbered "1" as valid, when an X was supposed to be used, will be left to the discretion of returning officers, Justice minister Lord Bach said.

Spoilt papers

Outlining the draft regulations in the House of Lords he said: "We have taken steps to make it clearer that a voter should mark his or her vote with a cross - an X - in the box to the right of the name of the party or individual candidate he or she is voting for, by amending the wording at the top of the ballot paper."

It follows a warning from the Electoral Commission that: "The prescribed instructions state: 'You have one vote' and do not explain that the vote should be marked with an 'X'."

In the interests of avoiding potential voter confusion it would be preferred if the use of an X to mark the European Parliamentary vote could be made clear Electoral Commission

In 2007 the Scottish Parliament and council elections were mired in controversy partly due to the large number of "spoilt" papers.

Three different voting systems were spread across two papers: the list vote and the constituency vote, both of which are marked with an X; and the single transferable vote - where people were asked to rank candidates in order of preference using numbers - for local elections.

The Electoral Commission pointed out that, as local government by-elections are sometimes combined with the European elections, "in the interests of avoiding potential voter confusion it would be preferred if the use of an X to mark the European Parliamentary vote could be made clear on the face of the ballot paper".

The European Parliamentary elections on 4 June will be the first Scotland-wide elections since 2007, and Scotland's Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) had also raised concerns about the potential for confusion.