(things like the following paste, perhaps may remind people, we can still mend this, and you do not need to keep being terrorised into voting for the purple party. even just the banning double-jobbing... imagine having that!)
#scottishgreens #greens #newsletter #copypasta #wecanstillmendthis #cleanuppolitics #noneed #for #purpleparty
Holyrood has just passed the Scottish Elections Bill, changing the way we run elections for the Scottish Parliament and local councils.
I wanted to let you know about some of the changes which I secured to this Bill on behalf of the Scottish Greens, making our elections safer, fairer and more democratic.
Banning ‘double-jobbing’ - Following my earlier proposal to ban members of the House of Lords from serving as MSPs and Graham Simpson’s similar proposals to ban MPs, amendments were unanimously agreed yesterday to ban dual mandates from 2026
Making it easier for young people to vote. - Young people are one of the groups least likely to be registered to vote and that needs to change. The Scottish Government has agreed to my proposals to trial automatic voter registration in schools, universities and colleges.
Protecting privacy for candidates and agents. - When candidates and agents are made to publish their home address, it puts them at risk. Thanks to Green amendments, agents will no longer need to publish their home address and candidates will have the option to display the ward they live in on the ballot paper, as an alternative to printing their address.
Increasing protections from political violence. - Attacks on elected representatives, candidates, campaigners and election workers are sadly becoming more common across Europe. As well as the direct impact on the victims, these attacks have a chilling effect on our whole democratic system. Parliament has passed my amendments to give the option of reflecting this in sentencing where necessary.
Reforming the unfair cash deposits system. - Having to pay thousands of pounds to get candidates on the ballot paper is fundamentally anti-democratic. Replacing cash deposits with a set number of nominations from registered voters has long been an Electoral Commission recommendation and whilst other parties were not willing to agree to it immediately, the Scottish Government has agreed to launch a consultation on my proposals.
Those are just some of the improvements which the Scottish Greens have made to strengthen our democracy.
None of this would have been possible without our supporters, members and volunteers helping to get Green MSPs elected. With the next election now less than eighteen months away, we need to rapidly build up our campaign funds. If you can chip in £5 or £10 today, it will go a long way towards achieving a record Green result in 2026.
Kind regards,
Ross Greer MSP
Scottish Greens, West of Scotland