Voting age lowered to 16 for Senedd elections

TEENAGERS aged 16 and 17 will be able to vote in Senedd elections from the next one due in May 2021.

A law that brings the change into effect, the Senedd and Elections Bill, won the support of the National Assembly on Wednesday, with 41 AMs giving it their backing. There were 19 votes against. No AM abstained.

The Bill also changes the official name of the Assembly to Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament.

The third part of the Bill would also make important changes to electoral arrangements and how the Electoral Commission carries out its work in Wales.

Royal Assent is to be given in January 2020.

The Welsh Government recently announced plans for 16 and 17-yearolds to get the right to vote in council elections.

Introducing the Bill, Llwydd Elin

Jones facets”.

“This is a constitutional bill and the powers to do this were only devolved to 2017,” she said.

“This is one of a few occasions where a super majority [of 40] is needed.”

She said the provision to extend said

“the bill has many votes for those 16 and over was “long overdue for some”.

She said the change to a bilingual name did not have the backing of Plaid Cymru, or herself.

But she said there would be legislation to “further reform” the Senedd but she urged AMs to “take the step”.

Conservative AM David Melding said he was “disappointed” not to be able to back the Bill. He said his group had a free vote and he backed 16 and 17-year-olds getting the vote.

But the regional AM said he could not support the whole Bill because it was “quite insulting” that measures for foreign nationals to vote during the scrutiny process was unsatisfactory.

He said it was not a measure in place anywhere else.

“It’s been completely unscrutinised, introduced without scrutiny, by the Government at stage two,” he added.

Ms Jones responded saying she understood some AMs would vote against it but was encouraged there was support for aspects of it.

She said she believed it would “strengthen the Senedd”.

Welsh Government minister Jeremy Miles urged AMs to back it.

The Senedd and Elections Bill is the first part of the Assembly’s Reform programme and is based on the recommendations made in the independent report of the Assembly’s Expert Reform Panel.

The panel was chaired by Professor Laura McAllister, who said in reaction to the vote: “We have witnessed a monumental step forward on a historic day for Wales’ democratic process.

“By lowering the voting age for the Welsh General Elections in 2021, 16 and 17-year-olds have been empowered to vote for the first time in Wales.

“The Assembly is a very different institution to the one established in 1999, and this is why we as an independent expert panel were tasked with reviewing and presenting ideas for change.

“The passing of the Senedd and Elections Bill today has introduced major changes as part of the Senedd’s evolutionary journey.

“There is still a way to go, with further changes to come as part of widespread reforms which aims to build an even more effective and inclusive legislature which better serves the people of Wales.”