About us

The EMB was established by the Local Electoral Administration (Scotland) Act 2011. This Act gives the Board “the general function of co-ordinating the administration of local government elections in Scotland.” The Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020 extended the remit of the Board to cover elections to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025 adjusted the constitution of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland (the “EMB”), giving it a separate legal personality as a body corporate, adding provisions for it to report to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (“SPCB”), and altering the rules around eligibility for membership, including the establishment of two Depute Convener posts.

The EMB is independent of both Scottish and UK Governments and political parties and is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. The Convener is appointed by Ministers and leads a Board consisting of Returning Officers, their Deputes and Electoral Registration Officers.

Advisors include the professional associations: the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), the Electoral Registration Committee of the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA), the Elections Working Group of the Society of Local Authority Lawyers & Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR), and Scottish and UK Governments, and the Electoral Commission.

The EMB’s prime focus is ensuring that the interests of the voter are kept at the centre of all election planning and administration. The work of the EMB assumes the close community of electoral professionals in Scotland and accordingly the Board seeks to operate by consensus rather than formal direction, wherever possible. However, the Convener does have a power to issue directions to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in relation to their duties around Scottish Parliament and Local Government elections as required, and this power has been exercised in recent elections with the consent and wish of the electoral community.

The EMB has assisted in the coordination of the work of ROs and EROs in the delivery of UK Parliamentary General Elections, Scottish Parliament Elections, Scottish Local Government Elections and UK and Scottish Referendums. Where the Convener does not have a legal power of direction the Board has made recommendations to achieve consistency and support adequate contingency planning across the country.

Since its creation, the EMB has had an increasingly important role in promoting a consistent delivery approach, acting as a single point of contact for stakeholders and providing a source of professional expertise and support to the electoral community.