Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Act 2025

A vote to support means

• —Increases voter participation by removing barriers for people who work long hours, have caring responsibilities, or are temporarily away from home during elections, ensuring their voices are heard in Scottish and Welsh elections
• —Reduces pressure on polling stations on election day by distributing voting across a longer period, leading to shorter queues and faster processing for those voting in person
• —Improves accessibility for disabled voters, elderly citizens, and those with mobility issues who find it difficult or impossible to attend polling stations
• —Simplifies the absent voting application process, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and making it faster for eligible voters to register for postal or proxy votes

A vote to oppose means

• —Raises election security concerns, as expanded postal voting could increase risks of ballot tampering, postal theft, or coercion of voters in home environments compared to controlled polling station settings
• —May create administrative costs and complexity for electoral commissions in Scotland and Wales, requiring additional staff, resources, and systems to process and verify larger volumes of absent votes
• —Could reduce the traditional civic experience of voting in person at polling stations and weaken community participation in the democratic process on election day
• —Risks disproportionately benefiting certain groups (such as those with stable addresses and reliable postal services) while potentially disadvantaging vulnerable populations like rough sleepers or those in unstable housing