By George Thorley

AS former UK, European, Scottish Parliamentary and Local Authority Returning Officers, and as former council chief executives, we wish to highlight a number of issues which we believe need to be addressed before the Scottish Parliamentary elections can take place on May 6.

If the past 11 months have taught us anything it is the ability of the Covid virus to twist and turn, shredding in its wake many well laid-out plans and strategies.

The urgent need is therefore to ensure that the risks associated with the virus, especially the need to protect the public in this election, are assessed and weighed in the balance well before May.

Four million people in Scotland could vote in May. In the 2016 election, around 2.3 million voted.

726,000 postal ballots were issued then – the highest number for a Scottish Parliamentary election. All the other votes were cast by electors at their local polling station.

Covid public health regulations seek to minimise social mixing. At this point no-one knows if social mixing will be permitted by the time of the Election by which time only over 50’s will have been vaccinated once.

Democratic principles require that everything is done to maximise voter turn-out at elections. If the Covid restrictions remain in force over the next few weeks, then we believe that the following challenges need to be addressed as part of the Election Risk Assessment:

• The impact of ongoing lockdown restrictions on voter turn-out.

• Securing the thousands of staff required to operate polling stations and the thousands of staff required to count the votes.

• Ensuring that polling stations can cope safely with the large numbers who typically vote at peak periods.

• Most primary schools, community centres, and community halls are currently closed because of Covid-19. The danger of opening up hundreds of these facilities enabling the possible consequential spread of infection requires to be rigorously assessed.

• Priority to considering the benefits of encouraging every elector to register for a postal vote.

• Ensuring that the electoral system could cope with potentially millions of postal votes including the safe dispatch of millions of documents, and their safe processing on return.

• The value of an early public information campaign to ensure that every voter can both register, and cast their votes safely.

Time is short with the Notice of Election due to be given on March 15.

We do not want to see low voter turn-out or inadequately staffed polling stations and counting centres. We definitely do not want to see a late cancellation of the poll because of fears associated with increasing Covid infections.

The safety of the population, and the integrity and reputation of the democratic process are far too important to be left until the last moment, and that moment is approaching fast. We urge the Scottish Parliament to assess the issues we have raised.

George Thorley writes on behalf of the Mercat Group of former Scottish council CEOs, which also includes Bill Howat, David Hume, Keith Yates and Gavin Whitefield.