Scottish independence referendum

Then Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, and then Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, led the independence campaign

The Scottish independence referendum, 2014 is a referendum which decided whether Scotland would be an independent country or would stay a member of the United Kingdom. The voting took place on 18 September 2014.[1]

The result was that Scotland should stay as part of the United Kingdom.

Who could vote

Over 4 million people in Scotland could vote in the referendum. In order to vote on the day of the referendum a person much have been:[2]

  • Aged 16-years-old or over (i.e. born on or before 18 September 1998)[2]
  • Either British, Irish or a citizen of another European Union (EU) country who was also living in Scotland at the time of the referendum[2]
  • Registered to vote[2]

People who were Commonwealth of Nations citizens who had "leave to remain in the United Kingdom or do not require such leave" could also vote in the referendum.[2] Those in the armed forces (army, navy or air force) at the time of the referendum could also vote as long as they were registered to vote in Scotland.[2]

4,285,323 people registered to vote in the referendum, which was 97% of the population who were able to register to vote in the referendum.[3] This was the largest number of people Scotland has ever known to register to vote in any election or referendum.[3] The total population of Scotland in 2014 was about 5 million (this includes all those who could and could not vote).[4] Almost 85% of those registered voted in the referendum.[5]

The YES campaign

The YES campaign was led by the Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. He resigned after the vote.[6] Supporters of the YES campaign wanted Scotland to be an independent country.

The NO campaign

Supporters of the NO campaign wanted Scotland to stay a part of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband all wanted Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also been campaigning for Scotland to remain part of the UK.

Result

Should Scotland be an independent country?

  • No = 55.3% (2,001,926 votes)
  • Yes = 44.7% (1,617,989 votes)
  • total votes = 3,623,344
  • electorate = 4,283,392

Result: Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ "Scotland to hold independence poll in 2014 – Salmond". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Currie, Martin (8 January 2014). "Q&A: Voting in the Scottish independence referendum". BBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brooks, Libby (11 September 2014). "Scottish independence: 97% register to vote in referendum". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Scottish independence referendum: 5 facts with 5 months to go". GOV.UK. Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Jeavans, Christine (19 September 2014). "In maps: How close was the Scottish referendum vote?". BBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Scottish referendum: Salmond to quit after Scots vote No". BBC News. 19 September 2014.