North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for the Welsh Government to take action to ensure more young people register to vote in the forthcoming National Assembly election and future elections.
National Statistics figures for December 2015, show that North Wales witnessed a 25 per cent drop in 16 and 17-year-old attainers registered to vote as the next generation of Welsh voters. Calling for a Welsh Government Statement on voter registration in the Assembly Chamber yesterday, Mr Isherwood said:
“Following publication of a co-signed letter from party leaders and co-chairs of the all-party parliamentary group on democratic participation in Westminster, the Bite the Ballot campaign has asked us to raise the need to boost electoral registration in the National Assembly before we go into recess.
“According to Office for National Statistics figures for December 2015, my regional constituency of North Wales witnessed a 25 per cent drop in 16 and 17-year-old attainers registered to vote as the next generation of Welsh voters. Bite the Ballot’s ‘Missing Millions’ report is being launched in Westminster today with solutions, and, to take this forward urgently, with elections for the Assembly and referendum imminent, what action will the Welsh Government take to issue special guidance to electoral registration officers in Wales, reminding them of their power to go into and work with schools in the same way that the electoral officer for Northern Ireland does?
“In Northern Ireland a proven and successful schools initiative seeks to ensure every young person registers in the one place they’re obliged to be: at school. If it’s good enough for Ireland, why not Wales? I would welcome, as would the campaign, a statement accordingly.” In her response the Minister for Government Business blamed the UK Government for making “democratic registration opportunities so difficult, so complex.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Bite the Ballot is a Party neutral movement on a mission to empower young voters. It is shameful and telling that this senior Welsh Government Minister favoured Party point-scoring over urgent action with cross party support”.