IMAGE has long been a crucial part of modern politics. Tony Blair was eager to present himself as a "pretty regular kind of guy", and Gordon Brown's dour demeanour is being used against him by his critics.
But a new study has taken the idea one stage further by considering whether a politician's image – in the form of a photograph – should be included on the ballot paper when people go to vote.
Supporters of the move believe it would help voters ide
ntify the candidate they want to back. Labour's UK deputy leader, Harriet Harman, has endorsed the idea.
The Electoral Commission suggested some years ago a pilot scheme should be run to assess the benefits of using photographs.
South Africa and several Balkan countries have used photographs of candidates in their elections. But the study by Strathclyde University's Department of Government concluded photos might not be good for democracy.
It found good-looking, younger candidates, both male and female, benefited from having their pictures on the ballot paper at the expense of older ones. The researchers warned election hopefuls could be tempted to use out-of-date photographs or digitally-enhanced images.
The study focussed mainly on Westminster elections, but the findings could equally apply to Holyrood. The group is now looking at the impact of photographs in relation to the single transferable vote, as used in Scottish council elections.
The fiasco of last year's Holyrood and council elections – the rejected ballot papers, the late postal votes and the problems with electronic counting – has already prompted much debate and analysis of ballot paper design.
The Electoral Commission is due to report in September on a wide range of issues, including party descriptions, the use of logos and the question of listing candidates or parties in alphabetical or randomised order.
Photographs are not part of its remit, but the commission has previously suggested a pilot study, while noting the need for strict rules to ensure some consistency of style and quality and the practical problems of production and cost.
The Strathclyde study, funded with a £35,000 grant from the Economic and Social Research Council, found voters of all ages were found to be influenced by photographs, but the effect was more marked among young people.
The group most likely to make up their minds on the basis of the pictures was the people who were least interested in politics.
Dr Mark Shephard, one of the main researchers, says: "There was a four per cent swing when a young, good-looking candidate was running against an older candidate. Based on the 2005 general election results you only need a one per cent swing for 40 seats to change."
The SNP scored a major tactical coup in the list part of last year's Holyrood elections when it used "Alex Salmond for First Minister" on the ballot paper instead of the party's name.
The study did not consider whether party leaders' pictures should be published alongside party names.
Dr Shephard says photographs could have an even more significant effect in STV elections, when voters have to rank candidates in order of preference and there is often more than one candidate from the same party.
"People could say 'Well, I'm definitely Labour' but then decide which candidate to rank first based on the photograph," he said.
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald asked last year if she could use a picture against her name on the regional list ballot paper for Lothians because the current rules ban her from having a logo or any description beyond the one word "Independent". Her request was refused.
But she says most MSPs are not recognised by the public and so photographs would help. Party logos were only introduced within the last ten years.
A move to have pictures on the ballot paper could mean a boom in business for portrait photographers. Cheapskate candidates who just nipped into a passport-style photo booth would quickly be dismissed by voters as not serious.
But are the conclusions of the Strathclyde study confirmed by real experience?
During last year's Scottish Parliament elections, an online poll rated the SNP's Shirley-Anne Somerville the sexiest female prospective MSP.
She increased the SNP's vote by nearly eight per cent in Edinburgh Central but still finished third and only became an MSP via the top-up list after fellow Nationalist Stefan Tymkewycz stepped down three months after the elections.
Gemma Garrett, Miss Great Britain, stood as a candidate in last month's Crewe & Nantwich by-election, promising to bring some glamour to Westminster and saying she wanted British politicians to be "sexy not sleazy".
But in the end she came bottom of the poll with just 113 votes.
Image and appearance must count for something, but voters have not yet turned elections into beauty contests.
The full article contains 809 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
