Commentary on Sections Postal voting arrangements Section 4: Report on uptake of postal voting at closing date
10.This section requires the Scottish Ministers to report to the Parliament on the uptake of postal voting for the 2021 election as at 7 April 2021 (i.e. the day after the deadline which is expected to apply under section 3 if the election proceeds on 6 May).
11.By subsection (1), the report must set out the number of persons who are registered to vote at the 2021 election; the number of persons who have been granted a postal vote at the election; and the number of pending applications for a postal vote. The subsection does not place any new duties on electoral registration officers (the officials who administer applications for postal votes) to collate or provide information; instead, it merely requires the Scottish Ministers to use the most recent information which is available to them.
12.The report must also specify any funding provided by the Scottish Ministers to local authorities for the purpose of ensuring that electoral registration officers have adequate resources to deal with any increase in applications for postal votes resulting from the pandemic (see subsection (2)(a)).
13.Subsection (3) provides that the report must be published and laid before the Parliament by Ministers as soon as reasonably practicable after 7 April 2021.