Following the conclusion of the Scottish Parliament election count, Cahir Hughes, Acting Head of the Electoral Commission, Scotland, said: “The verification and counting of votes for the Scottish Parliament election has now concluded, and all 73 constituencies and 8 regions have declared their results. their results.
“Our initial assessment is that the count ran smoothly and took place transparently in the presence of candidates, their agents and the media.
“Delivering the Scottish Parliament election is a considerable task, with around 2,500 polling places across Scotland and more than 4.3 million registered voters, including many 16- and 17-year-olds taking part for the first time. We want to thank the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, electoral administrators and Returning Officers across Scotland for their dedication and professionalism in delivering these well-run and accessible polls.
“In the lead up to the poll, we joined with the Electoral Management Board and Police Scotland to call for a campaign free from abuse and intimidation, and the Commission published a new set of principles to guide campaigning at these elections. The abuse and intimidation of candidates, elected officials and electoral workers comes at a great personal cost and it is damaging to our democracy.
“We have been alert to the spread of false information, including AI-generated content, but have not seen significant deepfakes affecting the Scottish Parliament election. We will now collect evidence from voters, candidates, campaigners and administrators, to better understand their experiences.
“We will publish our statutory report on the Scottish Parliament election in the autumn, recommending improvements to the system where necessary.
“Thank you to everyone in Scotland who contributed to this being a free, fair and well-run election.”
