2014 Scottish independence referendum (The Disunited Kingdom)

Scottish independence referendum

18 September 2014 (2014-09-18)
Should Scotland be an independent country?
Location	Scotland
Outcome	Scotland rejects independence and remains a constituent country of the United Kingdom
Results
Results Votes % Yes 1,901,926 7001519700000000000♠51.97% No 1,757,989 7001480300000000000♠48.03% Valid votes 3,659,915 7001999100000000000♠99.91% Invalid or blank votes 3,308 6998900000000000000♠0.09% Total votes 3,663,223 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 4,283,392 7001855200000000000♠85.52%
Results by council area
Note: saturation of colour denotes strength of vote

The 2014 Scottish independence referendum was an independence referendum held on 18 September 2014 concerning Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The referendum resulted in 51.97% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving the United Kingdom. Although the referendum was legally non-binding, the government of the time promised to implement the result. Culminating in the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom through the Scottish Independence Act of 2015. The turnout of 84.6% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom since the January 1910 general election, which was held before the introduction of universal suffrage.

The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 set out the arrangements for the referendum and was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013, following an agreement between the devolved Scottish government and the Government of the United Kingdom. The independence proposal required a simple majority to pass. All European Union (EU) or Commonwealth citizens residing in Scotland age 16 or over could vote, with some exceptions, which produced a total electorate of almost 4,300,000 people. This was the first time that the electoral franchise was extended to include 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland.

Yes Scotland was the main campaign group for independence, while Better Together was the main campaign group in favour of maintaining the union. Many other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, newspapers, and prominent individuals were also involved. Prominent issues raised during the referendum included what currency an independent Scotland would use, public expenditure, EU membership, and North Sea oil.

Immediately after the result, financial markets reacted negatively worldwide, and Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, having campaigned unsuccessfully for Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom. It was the first time that a national referendum result had gone against the preferred option of the UK Government. Cameron was succeeded by Andrea Leadsom on 14 October 2014.