People in Wales could be able to elect their local councillors as
they finish lessons or as part of their weekly shop, as part of
efforts to make voting easier.
The Welsh Government is exploring with local authorities whether
flexible voting pilots can take place in next year’s local
government elections.
Voting in different spaces is being considered to provide voters
with easier access in familiar environments. Polling stations in
secondary schools and colleges would allow young people easy
access to democracy, following legislation giving 16 and 17 year
olds the vote in Wales. Consideration is also being given to
sites such as leisure centres or supermarkets.
More flexible voting could also be achieved through early voting.
This could see polling stations open the day before or the
weekend before an election, or across multiple days. It would
supplement postal voting as a way to give people more options to
vote in advance.
People may also be able to vote at any polling station in a local
authority area, instead of having to vote at an appointed polling
station. This is currently based on where a person lives, but may
not always be the most convenient location.
Digital solutions around electoral registers would be required to
facilitate some of these ideas and pilots would help develop a
thorough understanding of how this would work best.
The Welsh Government outlined these ideas in a letter to the
Welsh Local Government Association, with the intention to explore
them further in next May’s elections. Local authorities are now
considering whether they would like to progress any of these
ideas for the 2022 local elections. If pursued, lessons learned
would then inform arrangements for future elections, including
the Senedd election in 2026 and the local government elections in
2027.
, Counsel General and Minister for Constitution,
said:
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote, which
is why we’re looking at making voting possible in more places,
including in shops and schools. Democracy should be a part of all
our lives and if more of us take part, it will lead to better
policy making by elected representatives and policies which truly
represent the views and experiences of all of us.
“These voting pilots will help us to better understand how we can
increase turnout. We believe making voting more flexible and
easier will bring democracy closer to everyone.”
, Minister for
Finance and Local Government, added:
“We have had constructive discussions with the Welsh Local
Government Association about the need to modernise the way
elections work. We’re now encouraging local authorities to step
forward and play a part in shaping the future of elections in
Wales. Piloting new approaches at the elections in May 2022 would
be the first step in a longer term process that could see radical
changes to how people exercise their democratic right to vote
across the whole of Wales in future.”
Councillor Andrew Morgan, WLGA Leader said:
“A healthy democracy relies on good engagement and accessible
elections which fit the modern needs of people in local
communities. Constructive discussions have already begun with
Welsh Government to look at new ways to bring democracy closer to
the people, and we will look forward to exploring the
practicalities of rolling out these ideas in communities across
Wales.”
Notes to editors
A written statement on electoral reform was published on
29th July – https://gov.wales/written-statement-electoral-reform
A written statement on the framework for electoral reform was
published on 15th July - https://gov.wales/written-statement-framework-electoral-reform
