Scotland sets 17 Nov 2025 for online imprints guidance

From 17 November 2025, Scotland’s new digital imprint guidance for non‑party campaigners will apply to posts, videos and other online material used during Scottish Parliamentary and council elections. The Electoral Commission prepared the guidance under section 58 of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025, and Scottish Ministers have approved and laid it before the Parliament.

Think of an imprint as the label that tells you who is behind a piece of election material. On digital content, the law expects the imprint to be legible or audible and either on the material itself or directly accessible from it when including it on the content is not reasonably practicable. It must make clear who promoted the material and, if different, on whose behalf it was published.

Who does this apply to? The guidance covers non‑party campaigners at Scottish Parliamentary and council elections. That can include individuals, student societies, charities and community groups that campaign on issues or seek to influence voters but are not standing as candidates or acting for a political party. The Commission has also produced plain‑English guidance for both registered and unregistered non‑party campaigners.

This Scottish guidance focuses on additional duties for certain organic (unpaid) digital material at Scottish elections. It sits alongside UK‑wide rules in the Elections Act 2022 for digital imprints and existing requirements for imprints on printed material. If you campaign in Scotland, you should plan to meet both the UK rules and Scotland’s extra provisions.

Here is what has been decided and when it takes effect. Ministers appoint the start date by regulations once the guidance is approved. That appointed date is Monday 17 November 2025, with the regulations recorded on legislation.gov.uk as made on 21 October and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 23 October 2025. The draft guidance itself was laid on 16 September 2025, as noted in the Scottish Parliament Business Bulletin.

For day‑to‑day campaigning, you will want simple habits. Put an imprint on your posts or make it one click away; include the promoter’s name and address and, if different, the name and address of any person or organisation on whose behalf you are publishing; make sure the text is easy to read or hear on videos and audio. If space is tight, link to a page that clearly carries the imprint.

Enforcement is designed to support compliance and protect transparency. The Electoral Commission and the police must have regard to this statutory guidance. The Commission can require information or copies of digital material where proportionate and in the public interest, and it can seek a court order if notices are ignored. Following the statutory guidance can be a defence if you are accused of an imprint offence.

If you run a student group, society or local campaign, treat this as a quick set‑up task. Add a short imprint line to your profile bios, prepare image and video templates that include the imprint, keep a page on your site with the full imprint and link to it from posts when needed, and decide in advance who the promoter is so contact details are consistent across platforms.

Some situations can be confusing, so here is a common one. If you re‑share someone else’s post that already carries an imprint, you usually do not need to add a new one provided the original imprint remains and you have not materially altered the content. If you edit the post or add graphics that change its message, you are likely to need your own imprint.

For voters, imprints are a simple transparency tool. As election periods begin, you should expect to see an imprint next to, or one click from, political posts and videos. If you cannot find one, check the profile bio or any link from the post; the law allows imprints to appear in a place that is directly accessible from the material when putting it on the content itself is not workable.

If you campaign across the UK, remember that Scotland’s rules add to, rather than replace, the UK framework. The Electoral Commission’s guidance explains what counts as election material, what information to include, and how to stay on the right side of the law in Scotland and under the Elections Act 2022. Build those requirements into your content calendar now.