There are just a few days left to make sure that your voice is heard in the independence referendum. Political editor Kieran Andrews reports.
This is the biggest decision Scotland will make in 300 years, so let’s make sure we’re all a part of it. That’s the basic message coming from the Electoral Commission in a major campaign to get as many people as possible registered so they can mark a cross next to Yes or No but not both on their ballot paper next month.
On September 2, that’s next Tuesday, voter registration will close and if you’ve not made sure you’re signed up to have your say on the country’s future then that’s it. There’s no turning up at polling stations on September 18, moaning and blaming other people.
To try to minimise the inevitable cries of “I didn’t know what to do”, the Electoral Commission has sent a bright booklet packed with information to every voter in Scotland, alongside a massive advertising campaign.
The guide, which is going to more than 2.5 million households, contains factual information on how to register to vote and the different ways of casting a referendum vote.
The 12-page pamphlet also contains information from the two lead campaign groups at the referendum, Yes Scotland and Better Together, along with a joint statement from the Scottish and UK Governments on what would happen after the referendum in the event of either a Yes or No result.
Head of Scotland Office at the Electoral Commission, Andy O’Neill, said the campaign is targeting the whole electorate but in particular those people who are more transient.
Folk who are renting and regularly moving home, young people and, in particular, students are especially in the minds of those behind the project.
Mr O’Neill said: “When we did the question assessment back in 2012/13, one of the things that came out of that research was people wanted information about what would happen after the result.
“People understand what the referendum is about. It is about leaving the UK but, when we did focus groups and in-depth interviews, a strong desire came for more information.
“They wanted more on the process but mainly on the policy issues around the election. That’s why we offered pages to the designated leads, Yes and Better Together.
“It gives people information about the issues and also points out what would happen in the event of a Yes or No vote.”
Much has been made of groups, in particular the left-wing Radical Independence Campaign, urging people to register on the doorstep, but the Electoral Commission’s campaign is pinpointing social media to help get the message across.
Scottish Facebook users who visit the social network site over the next two to three weeks will see posts in their newsfeed raising awareness of the guide and highlighting the importance of casting a ballot in the historic event.
The commission has also been a part of the Scottish Youth Parliament’s “Ready, Steady Vote Week” and has partnered with a variety of organisations to target information at specific groups who are less likely to be registered to vote.
This includes the National Union of Students, Shelter Scotland, and Young Scot, all of whom have free access to a range of resources, including factsheets, posters and email banners to promote awareness of how to take part in the referendum.
It seems to be working, as more than 50,000 registration forms were downloaded from the Electoral Commission’s website in the first 10 days of the campaign.
Partnerships have also been formed with the counting officers and electoral registration officers in councils but Mr O’Neill says the most engaged group at risk of slipping up are those 17 and 18-year-olds heading off to university for the first time.
The deadline means they will have to register at their parents’ home address but many will have flown the nest and could be hundreds of miles away when it comes to polling day.
That’s when alternatives like postal or proxy votes, where you appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf, have to be looked at.
Mr O’Neill said: “The issue of students is quite an interesting thing, particularly first-time students who will be going to university the week of the referendum.
“You have to be registered by September 2 but where you are going to be on September 2 might not be where you are going to be on September 18. That is going to mean you need a postal vote or proxy vote.
“There is a massive amount of interest in this. We want to make sure people have thought through where they are going to be.”