Section 1.12. Citizens, resident, and on the electoral register, are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums upon reaching the Age of Legal Capacity, except for persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity as defined by a specific medical or judicial certification.
Please scrutinise all the proposed amendments and replies before commenting or voting. Short comments are most often read and must not exceed 100 words. You can propose an Amendment at the bottom of this page - please read the guidelines .
Note that the original wording appears again first below and sustains the same comment & voting regime as all other amendment proposals.
Section 1.12. Section 1.12. Citizens, resident, and on the electoral register, are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums upon reaching the Age of Legal Capacity, except for persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity as defined by a specific medical or judicial certification.
Section 1.12. This sentence is ungrammatical. Also, it refers to an "age of legal capacity", which would have to be defined for all legal purposes, although it might be preferable to envisage different ages for different legal purposes - as is, I believe, currently the case. It would be better to refer to an age of entitlement to vote as laid down in parliamentary legislation.
Section 1.12. In addition, as a UK national prevented from voting in the Brexit referendum, I feel strongly that citizens should be entitled to vote, at least for certain purposes, even if they are not resident in the country. France has a system of representation of nationals redsident abroad which allocates a number of seats in the National Assembly to wide constituencies such as "Northern Europe" etc, defined in accordance with the number of nationals resident in each area. I feel such a solution should be considered, to encourage involvement in Scottish politics by those currently abroad. I am aware this is a complex issue, but I think it needs serious consideration. I myself am currently prevented from voting in Scotland because I spend less than half the year in my Edinburgh flat, even though I have a considerable interest in what goes on in Scotland.
Section 1.12. I completely agree that citizens of a country should retain the right to vote despite not being resident in the country. I have worked overseas for British International Schools including and lost the right to vote on Brexit despite it having a direct impact on my future. Citizens abroad should still have the right to vote in their country of residence as for many years, I was unable to vote anywhere due to being a foreign national albeit in Europe.
Section 1.12. In my original comment, I mentioned France, but many other countries take a similar approach - Italy, Portugal and the USA, to name but the first three that come to mind. The UK is not necessarily typical, nor is its approach necessarily to be followed.
Section 1.12. Pedantic - but I believe the word "resident" here is being used as an adjective and not a noun; unless you are quibbling about the Oxford comma?
Section 1.12. I see what you mean. If it means "Citizens who are both resident in Scotland and on the electoral register", it is awkward rather than actually ungrammatical. However, it would seem to be a retrograde step compared to the current situation, in which UK nationals living abroad for less than 15 years, together with legally resident foreign nationals, are entitled to vote in Scottish local and parliamentary elections.
Section 1.12. Keep it simple: just give the right to vote to all legal residents over the age of 16 . I don't think the constitution needs to exclude those with guardians or lacking capacity. It's a relatively small number so they are unlikely to vote particulalry if they are infirm.
Section 1.12. Section 1.12. Citizens of Scotland whose names appear on an electoral register are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums upon reaching the age laid down by law for voting in the election or referendum in question, except for persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity as defined by a specific medical or judicial certification.
Section 1.12. I agree with Caledonian's amendment - because if citizens on the register but living abroad are sufficiently interested to vote why on earth not?
Section 1.12. Being on the Register alone, I think, is not a sufficient reason for the right to vote. This right should be reserved for persons who are on the Electoral Register and who are legal Residents of Scotland. It is much more logic for expatriates to vote for the political institutions in their country of residence.
Section 1.12. It shall be mandatory for an eligible voter, to cast a vote in a national election. This notwithstanding, elections Scotland, shall ensure all ballots have a dissension option on the ballot. Penalties for not voting and convictions will be provided under the Scottish elections and voting act regulations. People convicted for not voting shall not be protected under the freedom of information act for this violation and the government has the right to provide this list to anyone.
Section 1.12. Section 1.12 Citizens, resident, and on the electoral register, are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums, except for persons excluded by law.
Section 1.12. section 1.12 This section contains two things to which I oppose: 1/ 'the Age of Legal Capacity’ as minimum age for entitlement to vote (see section 4.9) and 2/ the exclusion of 'persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity' as this is an unwarranted discrimination. It is an entitlement of all citizens in a democracy to have their interests looked after by an elected representative. Citizenship rights cannot be taken away for reasons of guardianship. Persons with similar mental incapacities have different chances of being placed under guardianship depending on their social and family circumstances (see for more in https://www.drwillem.org/constitution).
Proposed Amendments to Section
Please scrutinise all the proposed amendments and replies before commenting or voting. Short comments are most often read and must not exceed 100 words.
You can propose an Amendment at the bottom of this page - please read the guidelines .
Note that the original wording appears again first below and sustains the same comment & voting regime as all other amendment proposals.
Original Version
Section 1.12. Section 1.12. Citizens, resident, and on the electoral register, are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums upon reaching the Age of Legal Capacity, except for persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity as defined by a specific medical or judicial certification.
Section 1.12. This sentence is ungrammatical. Also, it refers to an "
Section 1.12. This sentence is ungrammatical. Also, it refers to an "age of legal capacity", which would have to be defined for all legal purposes, although it might be preferable to envisage different ages for different legal purposes - as is, I believe, currently the case. It would be better to refer to an age of entitlement to vote as laid down in parliamentary legislation.
Section 1.12. In addition, as a UK national prevented from voting in the Brexit referendum, I feel strongly that citizens should be entitled to vote, at least for certain purposes, even if they are not resident in the country. France has a system of representation of nationals redsident abroad which allocates a number of seats in the National Assembly to wide constituencies such as "Northern Europe" etc, defined in accordance with the number of nationals resident in each area. I feel such a solution should be considered, to encourage involvement in Scottish politics by those currently abroad. I am aware this is a complex issue, but I think it needs serious consideration. I myself am currently prevented from voting in Scotland because I spend less than half the year in my Edinburgh flat, even though I have a considerable interest in what goes on in Scotland.
Section 1.12. I completely agree that citizens of a country should retain the right to vote despite not being resident in the country. I have worked overseas for British International Schools including and lost the right to vote on Brexit despite it having a direct impact on my future. Citizens abroad should still have the right to vote in their country of residence as for many years, I was unable to vote anywhere due to being a foreign national albeit in Europe.
Section 1.12. In my original comment, I mentioned France, but many other countries take a similar approach - Italy, Portugal and the USA, to name but the first three that come to mind. The UK is not necessarily typical, nor is its approach necessarily to be followed.
Section 1.12. Pedantic - but I believe the word "resident" here is being used as an adjective and not a noun; unless you are quibbling about the Oxford comma?
Section 1.12. I see what you mean. If it means "Citizens who are both resident in Scotland and on the electoral register", it is awkward rather than actually ungrammatical. However, it would seem to be a retrograde step compared to the current situation, in which UK nationals living abroad for less than 15 years, together with legally resident foreign nationals, are entitled to vote in Scottish local and parliamentary elections.
Section 1.12. Is it the intention that citizens who have been gaoled for violent crimes (eg murder, rape) should retain the right to vote?
Section 1.12. Keep it simple: just give the right to vote to all legal residents over the age of 16 . I don't think the constitution needs to exclude those with guardians or lacking capacity. It's a relatively small number so they are unlikely to vote particulalry if they are infirm.
Proposed Amendment to Section 1.12.
Section 1.12. Section 1.12. Citizens of Scotland whose names appear on an electoral register are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums upon reaching the age laid down by law for voting in the election or referendum in question, except for persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity as defined by a specific medical or judicial certification.
Section 1.12. I agree with Caledonian's amendment - because if citizens on the register but living abroad are sufficiently interested to vote why on earth not?
Section 1.12. As long as they are on the Scottish electoral register.
Section 1.12. Being on the Register alone, I think, is not a sufficient reason for the right to vote. This right should be reserved for persons who are on the Electoral Register and who are legal Residents of Scotland. It is much more logic for expatriates to vote for the political institutions in their country of residence.
Proposed Amendment to Section 1.12.
Voting obligations, may fall under 4.19
Section 1.12. It shall be mandatory for an eligible voter, to cast a vote in a national election. This notwithstanding, elections Scotland, shall ensure all ballots have a dissension option on the ballot. Penalties for not voting and convictions will be provided under the Scottish elections and voting act regulations. People convicted for not voting shall not be protected under the freedom of information act for this violation and the government has the right to provide this list to anyone.
Proposed Amendment to Section 1.12.
Guardianship wards also deserve a vote
Section 1.12. Section 1.12 Citizens, resident, and on the electoral register, are entitled to vote in all national elections and referendums, except for persons excluded by law.
Section 1.12. section 1.12 This section contains two things to which I oppose: 1/ 'the Age of Legal Capacity’ as minimum age for entitlement to vote (see section 4.9) and 2/ the exclusion of 'persons under guardianship due to severe mental incapacity' as this is an unwarranted discrimination. It is an entitlement of all citizens in a democracy to have their interests looked after by an elected representative. Citizenship rights cannot be taken away for reasons of guardianship. Persons with similar mental incapacities have different chances of being placed under guardianship depending on their social and family circumstances (see for more in https://www.drwillem.org/constitution).