2016 Scottish election results: what was voter turnout for 2016 election and what was the outcome?

How many Scots turned out to vote at the previous election?

Millions of Scots have voted to decide the composition of the Scottish Parliament.

The vote was held against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic with strict social distancing measures in place on polling day (Thursday 6 May) and voters urged to vote by post if possible.

At this stage it remains unclear whether social distancing measures will have an impact on turnout at the 2021 election.

What was turnout in 2016?

At the 2016 vote 2,288,369 participated in the constituency vote.

There were slightly more votes cast for the regional vote with 2,289,564 votes cast.

The electorate in 2016 was 4,099,907.

Over 2 million people voted at the 2016 election (Getty Images)

That means that the turnout percentage in 2016 for both the constituency vote and regional vote was 55.8%.

How was the constituency vote split?

In the constituency vote the SNP received over one million votes, earning 59 seats.

Their total of 1,059,898 was well clear of the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour who picked up 501,844 and 514,261 respectively.

Despite having more votes Labour won the vote in three constituency seats compared to the seven won by the Tories.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats picked up 178,238 votes and earned four seats, while the Greens garnered just 13,172 and zero seats.

SNP’s share of the vote was 46.5%, ahead of the Conservatives (22%), Labour (22.6%), Liberal Democrats (7.6%) and Greens (0.6%)

A total of 9,215 ballots were spoilt.

How was the regional vote split?

The SNP earned the most votes again in the regional vote, with 953,587 Scots casting a vote in their favour.

The Scottish Conservative party received 524,222 votes which sealed them 24 additional seats, while Scottish Labour earned 435,919 which clinched them 21 further seats.

The Scottish Greens meanwhile received 150,426 regional votes which earned them six seats, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats received 119,284 which earned them a single additional seat.

SNP’s share of the vote was 41.7% ahd of the Conservatives (22.9%) Labour (19.1%) Green (6.6%) and the Liberal Democrats (5.2%)

A total of 3,812 ballots were spoilt.

How many people are registered to vote this time around?

According to National Record Scotland, as of March 3, 2020, “the number of people registered to vote in Scottish Parliament and Local Government elections was 4,227,700”.

This is an increase of 127,793 from the 2016 election.

How do I register to vote?

For future elections registering to vote online is simple – visit this official government website link and fill out the form presented to you.

Alternatively you can fill out a paper form which can be downloaded here.

You will require your National Insurance number as well as a passport if you're a British citizen living abroad.