Voting will open on Monday (2 Nov) to elect the next Scottish Youth Parliament membership.

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is the youth-led body which empowers young people to champion and defend their rights and has a strong track record of campaigning on important issues.

Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) are aged between 14 and 25 and are democratically elected every two years to represent Scottish Parliament constituencies and voluntary organisations, including The Boys’ Brigade, Girlguiding Scotland, LGBT Youth Scotland and Scouts Scotland.

The polls will be open from Monday 2 November to Sunday 15 November, with newly elected MSYPs announced as results come in from Monday 16 November.

Since 1999, SYP has successfully campaigned for free bus travel, the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, and the right of 16-and 17-year-olds to vote in all Scottish elections, amongst other issues.

Jack Anderson, MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Now more than ever, it is important to promote young people’s democratic participation, and this is a chance for the young people of Scotland to choose their representatives who will champion the issues which matter most to them over the next two years.

“All young people aged 12–25 are entitled to vote in the SYP elections, and I would encourage them to go online, find out who is standing in their area, read about what the candidates stand for, and then cast their vote.”

Further information about the SYP elections, including voting, can be found here