Background to the Act
4.This Act provides the legislative framework for the holding of a referendum on Scotland’s independence. The Act provides for a single-question referendum about whether Scotland should be an independent country.
5.The Act covers the technical aspects of holding the referendum. It prescribes the rules for voting, and sets out the rules for how the poll should be conducted. The Act also provides campaign rules to regulate the political campaign preceding the referendum. The rules are largely based on existing UK and Scottish legislation covering elections and referendums. They include the administration and limits of spending by and donations given to participants during the referendum campaign.