Schools Election 2016 - the results are in!

Aberdeenshire Schools Election took place in all 17 Aberdeenshire secondary schools in March 2016.

The project once more gave secondary school pupils the chance to run and to vote in their own elections. It was the latest in the programme of schools elections organised by the Council's Electoral Participation Group, following the Schools General Election in 2010, the Schools Scottish Parliament Election and AV Referendum in 2011, and the Aberdeenshire Schools Independence Referendum in 2013. The purpose of these events is to encourage electoral participation, to engage young people as fully as possible in the democratic process and to acquaint them with formal voting and counting processes.

Pupils owned the project at every stage - nominating their own candidates, running their own campaigns, staffing polling stations and counting votes. Each school held its own contest as part of a single constituency, with pupils at each school standing as candidates for one of the five political parties in Scotland represented in the Holyrood Parliament. Voting took place on Thursday, 10 March, with the count being staged in Mackie Academy, Stonehaven, the following day.

The project replicated the voting system which elects Members of the Scottish Parliament, affording pupils a vote for a candidate in their own school constituency as well as another on a regional list (the Additional Member system). Votes in the latter were aggregated across the seventeen participating schools to allocate a further seven regional seats.

The parties invited to support the project were the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party.

All of the pupils involved will be reaching the age of majority over the next few years and, with the voting age having been lowered for Scottish Parliament Elections in May and for next year’s Local Government Elections, it was an ideal opportunity for young voters to experience the polling and count environment almost exactly as it will be when they vote. The process was designed to be as realistic as possible, involving the Aberdeenshire Elections Team, Education & Children’s Services, and Electoral Registration. Authentic equipment and procedures were at the heart of the project.

Modern studies teachers worked with pupils in the run-up to the election, discussing the nature of the five parties, as well as their policies and manifestos, and the importance of the voting system involved in these elections.

By clicking on the link below to each of the schools involved, you can find details of their results:

Aboyne Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Alford Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Banchory Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Banff Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Ellon Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Fraserburgh Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Inverurie Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Kemnay Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Mackie Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Mearns Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Meldrum Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Mintlaw Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Peterhead Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Portlethen Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

The Gordon Schools Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Turriff Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

Westhill Academy

Declaration of Results - Constituency (PDF 17KB)

Declaration of Results – Regional List (PDF 16KB)

 

The Aberdeenshire-wide regional list results (PDF 16KB)

 

For further information on the project, please contact our Election Team