Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill 2024-26
make provision about absent voting in connection with local government elections in Scotland and Wales, elections to the Scottish Parliament and elections to Senedd Cymru; and for connected purposes.
Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
The Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill is a Ballot Bill tabled by Tracy Gilbert.
Is this Bill currently before Parliament?Yes. This Bill was introduced on 16 October 2024 and is currently before Parliament.
Whose idea is this Bill?As a Private Members' Bill, this Bill represents the individual initiative of an MP (Tracy Gilbert), not the Government.
What type of Bill is this?20 Ballot Bills places are awarded by lottery to backbench MP's at the start of each Session. These Bills receive precedence for debate in the Commons and a handful will succeed in becoming enacted into law.
The higher chance of success means MPs who win a ballot slot are frequently lobbied by groups wishing to have legislation tabled on their behalf, but the choice of bill ultimately remains with the MP.
So is this going to become a law?Historically, between 3 and 13 of the 20 Ballot Bills have succeeded in becoming enacted into law. Therefore, provided this bill is sufficiently high in the Ballot and the Government has no means to object to the bill, it has the greatest chance of PMBs to be enacted into law.
How can I find out exactly what this Bill does?The most straightforward information is contained in the initial Explanatory Notes for the Bill.
Would you like to know more?See these Glossary articles for more information: Ballot Bill, Private Members Bill, Process of a Bill
Official Bill Page Initial Explanatory Notes Initial Briefing papers Ministerial Extracts from Debates All Bill Debates
Next Event: There is no future stage currently scheduled for this bill
Last Event: Monday 7th July 2025 - 1st reading: Minutes of Proceedings (Lords)
Bill Progession through Parliament