!!!This is not a real website: it is a very, very simple illustration of a concept!!!
Why has the nomination system changed?
The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2028 introduced a new system for parties that want to nominate candidates for the 2031 Scottish Parliament Election. Previously, they had to pay a £500 deposit for each Constituency and Region they wanted to stand candidates in. If they won at least 5% of the votes cast there, they would get that deposit back.
Deposits were intended to make sure that only serious political parties stood for election. The Scottish Government and Parliament felt this system was out of date and was not effectively serving this purpose. Instead, parties must now demonstrate a small amount of public support for their candidacies.
Parties that won seats in the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election are automatically registered to nominate candidates, as they have demonstrated enough support to get candidates elected. Other parties must collect signatures in the area they wish to nominate a candidate.
This puts the decision about what candidates are on your ballot paper in your hands.
The Nomination Threshold
In order to nominate candidates, a party must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 0.25% of the valid votes at the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election in the areas they wish to nominate candidates. They can choose to do this for the whole of Scotland, or for any combination of individual Regions and Constituencies.
For the 2031 Scottish Parliament Election, the number of signatures required is:
- Nationwide: 5,758
- Central Scotland and Lothians West Region: 707
- Edinburgh and Lothians East Region: 799
- Glasgow Region: 624
- Highlands and Islands Region: 503
- Mid Scotland and Fife Region: 715
- North East Scotland Region: 768
- South Scotland Region: 807
- West Scotland Region: 835
The number of signatures required for a Constituency nomination is on average 79, but varies from 26 in Orkney Islands to 101 in Edinburgh North Western.
To demonstrate genuine support, parties seeking Nationwide or Regional registration must collect signatures from across the area.
For Nationwide registration, no single Region can contribute more than one-third the total number of signatures, and the number of signatures in each Region must exceed one-fifth of that Region’s nomination threshold. Parties which do not reach the Nationwide threshold may nonetheless be registered in any Region in which they do so.
For Regional registration, no single Constituency can contribute more than one-third the total number of signatures, and the number of signatures in each Constituency must exceed one-fifth of that Constituency’s nomination threshold.
How do I know if the party I support is already registered to nominate candidates?
A complete list of registered parties in your area can be found on this page – all you need to do is enter your postcode. Remember that any political party that elected MSPs at the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election is automatically registered to nominate candidates.
How can I submit my signature?
You can submit a signature in support of a political party’s candidacy on the Submit a Signature page. The deadline to submit signatures is two weeks before the close of candidate nominations. This is to allow electoral authorities time to confirm the registration status of each political party in a timely manner and prevent parties from having candidates disqualified at short notice.