Parties urged to 'engage' voters

Scotland's political parties are being urged to help halt voter apathy

Voter apathy in Scotland is becoming more marked than elsewhere in the UK, the Electoral Commission has warned.

Its report on this year's European election notes that the UK turnout was 40%, while in Scotland it was 30%.

Across the UK, voter turnout rose by 14% compared to 1999 and the commission praised parties for mobilising voters and getting them to polling stations.

However, it urged parties in Scotland to rethink their respective campaign strategies to halt the decline.

The commission also suggests the media should take a more positive approach to elections to prevent speculation about voter apathy becoming self-fulfilling.

Online voting

Despite the UK turnout being 10% higher than in Scotland, it was still significantly lower than the European average of 45%.

Last summer, Scottish Secretary Alistair Darling said "all postal voting" could be introduced in Scotland in time for the next Holyrood elections.

He said it was vital to find new ways of curbing voter apathy.

Online and text voting are also being considered as possible ways to reverse the decline.

Fewer than half of those eligible to vote at the last Holyrood election did so.