How you vote in Senedd and local elections could change after the Welsh Government set out new proposals.
The new proposals aim to improve voter participation and include trials for automatic voter registration in Senedd and local government elections. If they went ahead these changes would not apply to UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which remain the responsibility of the UK Government.
In the elections for the Welsh Parliament in 2021 there was a record turnout though the participation rate was still only 46.6%. It is hoped that by automatically registering people to vote it will mean more people exercise their democratic right. The counsel general for the Welsh Government Mick Antoniw, said the proposals are designed to remove barriers to voting.
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Currently people must register in order to vote, but under the new proposals anyone who is eligible would be added to the electoral register automatically by their local authority. This will make voting simpler – especially for young people and for those who have moved to Wales from another country.
The Welsh Government is proposing to work with a number of local authorities to run a series of pilots focusing on how best to collect data and use existing data to support automatic registration, and will be inviting local authorities to take part in pilot projects. Views are also being sought on how best to improve student and young people’s registration rates, who have a proportionately lower rate of registration and participation.
Other areas being considered are the accessibility of information on parties and candidates, the equipment available to help disabled people vote, and the digitization of elections in Wales. Mick Antoniw, who is also the minister for the constitution, said: "This is another step in improving the accessibility of Welsh elections. We want it to be as easy as possible to vote, with people able to play their full part in our democracy. We also want to create political structures that are more representative of the people they serve.
“I’m proud to say that since we assumed responsibility for local and Senedd elections in 2017 we have lowered the voting age to 16 and enfranchised qualifying foreign nationals. As part of building a 21st century electoral system, the time is now right to accelerate our ambitious long-term vision for electoral reform in anticipation of the next major devolved and local elections in 2026 and 2027. We have outlined a wide range of proposals about the best way forward, and encourage people from every part of society to have their say and help us deliver our vision.”
Jess Blair, director of Electoral Reform Society Cymru, said: "We welcome the Welsh Government’s consultation on a range of new measures to remove the barriers to participating in our elections and to make it easier for people to have their voice heard.
The proposals to pilot automatic voter registration are an exciting development that take away a hurdle many people face before casting their vote. It follows years of successful use in countries like Denmark, Finland and Estonia.
"However, the key will be in how we communicate these pilots and ensuring that people are aware of these changes. Registration letters have often acted as a reminder to people of an upcoming election, this must be replaced with other communications letting people know that they are registered as well as when, where and how they can cast their vote.
"We are seeing these changes announced just a couple of years after the first 16- and 17-year-olds were able to cast a vote in the 2021 Senedd elections. Combined, these are really exciting innovations that aim to address some of the major issues facing Welsh democracy, including low turnout at devolved elections. None of these things are panaceas but they are all absolutely a step in the right direction."
Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for post-16 education, Sioned Williams MS, who led a debate in the Senedd on the need to provide young people with political education alongside giving 16 and 17-year-olds the vote, said: "As with the extension of voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds, people will not be empowered to vote unless they are inspired to vote. Indeed, unless you vote at a young age you are less likely to vote in the future, so, while I welcome this move by Welsh Government to pilot the automatic registration of voters, it must go hand in hand with measures to increase the numbers of voters beyond those included in the new curriculum - which of course will be too late for a whole cohort of learners and those who have already left school.
“We need to see political education both in educational and community settings as automatically registering a person to vote will not increase voter engagement unless they are first fully informed and engaged with the democratic process.”
The Welsh Tories have said the changes are unnecessary and could lead to confusion. Welsh Conservative shadow constitution minister Darren Millar MS said: "It is not clear why these changes are necessary. Registering to vote is already simple and millions of people in Wales manage to do so every year without any issue whatsoever. One thing is certain, any changes to the voting system which apply only to some elections and not others will cause unnecessary confusion.
“Automatic registration for Senedd and local elections could lead to voters incorrectly assuming they are registered to vote in all elections and cause them to miss out on voting. Worse still, automatic enrolment of people who move home or students at university could increase the risk of people being registered in two places and voting twice.”
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