Editing Scottish Parliament (section)

== Elections ==
{{main|List of by-elections to the Scottish Parliament}}
{{Scottish Parliament election results graph (percentage)}}
{{Graph:Stacked | thumb | right | Composition of the Scottish Parliament.
| table=Scottish Parliament MSP.tab | type=time  | xField=date
| series= "Presiding", "Conservatives", "Reform", "Labour", "Liberals", "Scottish_Senior_Citizens", "Solidarity", "Socialist", "SNP", "Greens", "Independent"
| colors= #000000, #0087DC, #12B6CF, #E4003B, #FAA61A, #CC66CC, #a22f32, #ff0000, #FDF38E, #00B140, #DDDDDD
| legend=Party | xAxis=Year | yAxis=Number of MSPs | height=400 | width=400
}}

Elections for the Scottish Parliament are for all 129 seats using the [[Additional Member System]]. There have been six elections to the Parliament, in [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]], [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]], [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]], [[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]], [[2016 Scottish Parliament election|2016]] and [[2021 Scottish Parliament election|2021]].

Under the Scotland Act 1998, ordinary general elections for the Scottish Parliament are held on the first Thursday in May every four years ([[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]], [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]], [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]] and so on).<ref name="ScotlandAct2">{{Cite web |title=Scotland Act 1998 – Section 2 Ordinary General Elections |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519073825/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#2 |archive-date=19 May 2007 |access-date=14 November 2006 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)}}</ref> The date of the poll may be varied by up to one month either way by the Monarch on the proposal of the Presiding Officer.<ref name="ScotlandAct2" /> If the Parliament itself resolves that it should be dissolved (with at least two-thirds of the Members voting in favour), or if the Parliament fails to nominate one of its members to be First Minister within 28 days of a General Election or of the position becoming vacant,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scotland Act 1998 – Section 46 Choice of the First Minister |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--d.htm#46 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031023519/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--d.htm#46 |archive-date=31 October 2007 |access-date=10 May 2007 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)}}</ref> the Presiding Officer proposes a date for an extraordinary general election and the Parliament is dissolved by the Monarch by [[royal proclamation]]. Extraordinary general elections are in addition to ordinary general elections, unless held less than six months before the due date of an ordinary general election, in which case they supplant it. The following ordinary election reverts to the first Thursday in May, a multiple of four years after 1999 (i.e., 5 May 2011, 7 May 2015, etc.).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scotland Act 1998 – Section 3 Extraordinary General Elections |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519073825/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#3 |archive-date=19 May 2007 |access-date=14 November 2006 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)}}</ref>

The latest Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 6 May 2021.<ref name="dates act">{{Cite web |title=Scottish Elections (Dates) Act 2016 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/13/enacted?view=plain |access-date=7 May 2016 |publisher=legislation.gov.uk |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025035903/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/13/enacted?view=plain |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the [[Scotland Act 1998]], an ordinary general election to the Scottish Parliament would normally have been held on the first Thursday in May four years after the [[2016 Scottish Parliament election|2016 election]], i.e. in May 2020.<ref name="ScotlandAct1">{{Cite web |title=Scotland Act 1998 – Section 2 Ordinary General Elections |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#2 |access-date=8 May 2007 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |archive-date=19 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519073825/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/80046--a.htm#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> This would have coincided with the proposed date of the next United Kingdom general election until an early UK election was called [[2017 United Kingdom general election|in 2017]].<ref name="clash">{{Cite press release |title=Scottish Elections (Dates) Bill published |date=18 November 2015 |publisher=Scottish Government |url=http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Scottish-Elections-Dates-Bill-published-1f67.aspx |access-date=6 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604112556/http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Scottish-Elections-Dates-Bill-published-1f67.aspx |archive-date=4 June 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2015, the Scottish Government published a Scottish Elections (Dates) Bill, which proposed to extend the term of the Parliament to five years.<ref name="clash" /> That Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 25 February 2016 and received Royal Assent on 30 March 2016, setting the new date for the election as 6 May 2021.<ref name="dates act" />

Citizens of the UK, Ireland, [[EU member states]] and other countries who have permission to enter or remain in the UK (or who do not need such permission), and are resident in Scotland, are entitled to vote. The minimum voting age is 16.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/Your%20Scottish%20Parliament%20election%20voting%20guide%20May%202021.pdf |title=Your Scottish Parliament election voting guide |date=2021 |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=11 May 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429153038/https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/Your%20Scottish%20Parliament%20election%20voting%20guide%20May%202021.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> This differs from elections to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|the Westminster parliament]], which are restricted to citizens of the UK, Ireland and qualifying [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] citizens, with a minimum voting age of 18. Citizens of other non-[[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] [[EU member states]] who are resident in Scotland have been entitled to vote in elections to the Scottish Parliament since 1999. Since this date, the franchise has been further extended, with a two-thirds majority being required to make changes to the franchise under the Scotland Act 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.scot/news/elections-representation-franchise-bill/ |title=New Bill to extend electoral franchise |date=21 June 2019 |publisher=Scottish Government |access-date=11 May 2021 |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513191513/https://www.gov.scot/news/elections-representation-franchise-bill/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From the [[2016 Scottish Parliament election|2016]] election, the franchise for Scottish Parliament elections was expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 June 2015 |title=Cut in Scottish voting age passed unanimously |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-33173488 |access-date=8 May 2016 |archive-date=7 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407010142/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-33173488 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, the Scottish Parliament voted to extend the right to vote in Scotland to all foreign nationals with leave to remain (limited or indefinite).<ref name="scot2020">{{Cite web |date=20 February 2020 |title=Right to vote extended |url=https://www.gov.scot/news/right-to-vote-extended/ |access-date=21 February 2020 |website=[[Scottish Government]] |archive-date=16 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316171031/https://www.gov.scot/news/right-to-vote-extended/ |url-status=live }}</ref>