Teenagers to have say in elections
YOUNG people aged 16 and 17 will be able to vote in Wales for the first time at the next Senedd election in 2021, AMs have decided.
The proposal was passed by 36 votes to 20 in a vote on the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Bill. Technically the Bill still requires a third reading, but with a clear majority of AMs voting for the change, there is no doubt that it will pass.
Presiding Officer Elin Jones, whose office sponsors the Bill, said: “This has been a long time coming. In the fourth Assembly, in May 2013, a clear majority of Members voted in favour of reducing the voting age.
“In 2014 the then Llwydd Rosemary Butler launched a consultation on whether 16 and 17-year-olds should be entitled to vote. Over 10,000 young people from across Wales took part in that consultation, with a majority agreeing that the voting age should be lowered.
“Therefore, when powers over our devolved elections were transferred to Wales in 2017, the Assembly Commission agreed to explore the change in franchise, with the aim of ensuring that more young people would engage with our democracy.
“The results of the consultation undertaken by the Assembly Commission on creating a Senedd for Wales showed the majority – 59% – of respondents agreed that the voting age should be reduced to 16. That increased to 81% of respondents who said they were below 18 years of age.
“I believe that lowering the voting age to 16 will empower 16 and 17-year-olds to vote at Welsh general elections, giving them a voice on decisions that will define their future.”
Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Sayed said: “As someone who was campaigning on many issues such as against opencast mining in the area where I lived as a young child, I don’t think this is something we should be afraid of.
“During the climate change debate recently I said that we should respect and value young people’s views – and in valuing their views we can extend the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds.
“But it’s not just about that. It’s about trying to engage with a new cohort of people who may have radical or creative ideas that may influence or enable them to collaborate with us as AMs.”
But Brexit Party AM Caroline Jones said: “I firmly believe that the voting age has to remain at 18 – the age at which we legally become an adult... We have a bizarre situation when both this institution and the UK Parliament have been restricting 16-year-olds, preventing them from smoking, visiting a tanning salon or getting intimate piercings, yet wanting to give them the right to vote.
“The argument many politicians have put forward for lowering the voting age is that 16-year-olds can get married and join the armed forces, so they should be able to vote. What they fail to add is the need for parental consent.”
Welsh Conservative AM David Melding said: “I do think the education aspect of extending the franchise is quite critical. It’s important that all providers of secondary education in Wales must provide awareness of elections to the Senedd, as well as the concept of citizenship.”
The minimum age for voting in Westminster elections remains at 18.