THE SNP have launched a new drive to encourage people in Scotland to register to vote ahead of the 2023 referendum announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
SNP president Michael Russell said the referendum would give Scots a vital chance to have their voices heard.
He added that democracy was one of the guiding principles of the First Minister’s announcement, which marked “the beginning of an invigorating time” in Scottish politics.
The Referendum Bill published last week states that the franchise will include qualifying foreign nationals and sets the referendum date for October 19 next year.
“The importance of registering to vote ahead of the independence referendum cannot be overstated – this is the opportunity for Scots to have their voices heard and decide their constitutional future,” said Russell.
“Over the coming weeks and months, the SNP will detail our arguments and make the case for Scotland to get rid of Westminster control and Tory governments we haven’t voted for since the 1950s.
“The case for a referendum is now as much a Scottish democracy movement as a Scottish independence movement.
“And with the starting gun fired on the independence campaign, now is the time to prepare – and that starts with registering to vote in this historic democratic event.”
Announcing the October 2023 date, Sturgeon said the vote would be consultative and a majority Yes vote would mean legislation would then have to be passed by the Scottish and UK Parliaments.
However, she added that those who said a consultative referendum would not have the same status as the vote in 2014 were “simply wrong, factually and legally”.
She said it would be exactly the same as the devolution referendum in 1997, the 2014 independence vote, and the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, the Scottish Government’s most senior law officer, has been asked to refer the matter to the UK Supreme Court.
“By asking the Lord Advocate to refer the matter to the court now, rather than wait for others to do so, we are seeking to deliver clarity and legal certainty in a timely manner and without the delay and continued doubt that others would prefer,” Sturgeon said.
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