Non-Statutory National Park Authority Elections

DRS, global leader in election processing management, has extensive experience in working with local authorities, national governments, international election stakeholders and public and private sector organisations.

DRS is probably best known in the UK for its involvement in well publicised statutory elections such as the  2000 and 2004 London Mayor, European Parliament and Assembly elections and the highly complex Scottish Parliament and Local Government elections in 2007. But statutory elections are not all DRS can assist with. It can also streamline and improve accuracy of your non-statutory elections too.

Loch Lomond & Trossachs  National Park election

The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park is a beautiful area of Scotland covering some 720sq miles with a boundary length of 220 miles. There are 20 Munroes in the Park, the highest being Ben More at 1,174m. As well as Loch Lomond, there are another 21 larger lochs and numerous smaller lochs in the Park. More than 70% of Scotland's population live within a one hour drive of the National Park.

The National Park Authority is made up of 25 members. 20 members are appointed by Scottish Ministers and the remaining five are voted in by people living within the National Park area. These five members represent the five ward areas of the Park.

In June 2006, DRS was contracted to supply e-Counting technology to assist the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to elect these five members. DRS PhotoScribe® e-Counting technology processed the all postal ballot, delivering the results accurately and transparently in just 45 minutes.

Keith Yates, Chief Executive, and Returning Officer for Stirling Council, said: "This has been a very positive and efficient way to count election results.”

Cairngorms National Park election

The Cairngorms was made a National Park because it is a unique and special place that needs to be cared for - both for the wildlife and countryside it contains and for the people that live in it, manage it and visit it. At 3,800 kms in size, the Park is the most extensive in the UK.

The Cairngorms National Park has the largest area of arctic mountain landscape in the UK at its heart, with diverse communities around it. It is home to 16,000 people and 25% of Britain's threatened birds, animals and plants. It includes moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs and glens.

Formally established on 25 March, 2003, the Park Authority comprises 20 appointees of the Scottish Executive, 10 of whom are appointed directly and 10 who are nominated by local councils.

DRS was recently contracted to provide e-Counting technology in the 2007 Cairngorms National Park election to appoint five community representatives to serve on the Authority board.

The all-postal election achieved a 49.5% turnout, and DRS technology delivered the results quickly and accurately in just over an hour.