Update – 20th March 2023 – 7pm

Response to denying members access to amend their votes:

Ash Regan said:

“I believe the power lies with the members of the SNP to select their next leader.

There was an amendment to the normal established timeline as detailed in the SNP constitution for a leadership election – creating an inappropriately short time frame for this selection contest.

I do not believe the NEC have had the opportunity to review my proposal fully – nor do I understand the problem with allowing members to change their mind, given the revelations of the weekend.

Allowing members to edit their vote enables the ballot to continue on its current timeline, while solving the outstanding issue for those who are dissatisfied.

Our membership deserve the process of this election to be the start of transparency and demonstrable probity. However I encourage the members to now demonstrate their will with SNP HQ.”

20th March 2023 – 11am

Due to the volatile nature of recent events Ash Regan has held off from media to forge a path forward in conjunction with SNP HQ.

The campaign team thanks Mike Russell for stepping in and understanding the situation.

There has been a surge in traffic in our campaign mailbox and social media from concerned members, looking for guidance on whether the ballot will go ahead unaltered or if the ballot will be reset.

My team have put forward proposals that provide assurance to members with minimum disruption to the election process that we can move ahead constructively on.

In 2015 selection contests for Westminster candidatures had varying end dates. In some cases, candidates were removed from the ballot before a race ended, where this happened members were able to update their vote. The facility exists within the Mi-Voice system.

This would have the benefit of not disrupting members who are happy with their vote while providing an opportunity to reconsider for those who are not.

In addition each candidate would be allowed to send one email to the members using the SNP mailing system – allowing a last minute updated message that reflects current events.

We thank Mike for taking this suggestion seriously and lend our support to the integrity of the ballot. It is important that all parties respect the outcome of the ballot and give full support to the new leader of the SNP.