Charities and academics have urged the government to begin trials of digital voting

Online voting would help make elections more accessible, charities have claimed.

The Scottish Government has been urged to trial digital voting, in order to make polling more efficient, accessible and engaging.

A letter to the minister for parliamentary business, Joe Fitzpatrick, has been backed by a group of 30 academics and charity bosses.

The letter calls for Scotland to lead the way in democratic reform and signatories include Disability Equality Scotland and the Army Families Foundation.

It claims people with disabilities, military personnel based overseas and young people would all benefit from reform.

The call is being led by voluntary youth-led think tank WebRoots Democracy.

Chief executive Areeq Chowdury said: “Online voting has the potential to dismantle barriers to an independent and secret ballot for many voters with disabilities and vision impairments, as well as British citizens overseas including many members of our Armed Forces.

"For the younger generations, online voting presents a method of voting that meets the expectations of the digital age.”

The Scottish Government is currently embarking on a consultation to look at trialling innovative electronic voting methods, however has stressed that the security of voters is extremely important.