Pupils say ‘no’ in mock independence referendum

After senior pupils at Kirkwall Grammar School and Stromness Academy took to the polls earlier this week as part of a mock Scottish independence referendum, it has been found that a vast majority are for Scotland remaining in the union.

The results of the vote, which saw S4 to S6 pupils from the two schools take part, were revealed at the Kirkwall Community Centre this afternoon.

It was found that of the 357 votes cast 86 voted for independence and 269 voted against, with 2 votes being rejected as unmarked or void for uncertainty.

The mock referendum follows to the Question Time style panel discussions held in the schools on Monday.

For the first time, anyone aged 16 or over on September 18 will be eligible to vote in the forthcoming Scottish independence referendum.

The panel discussions and the mock referendum are part of Orkney islands Council’s on-going efforts to engage first time young voters in the referendum process.