03/28/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Only 35% young people in Pembrokeshire so far registered to vote for Senedd election

Any pic of polling station/voting/young people?

A DRIVE to get more young people registered to vote in time for May’s Senedd elections is underway with currently only 35 per cent signed up in Pembrokeshire.

Sixteen and 17-year-olds are now eligible to vote in Welsh elections, including council elections next year, and have until April 19 to register.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s audit committee welcomed the “great news” but heard that plans for work with schools to encouraging voter registration had, along with most things, been impacted by the pandemic.

At a meeting on Thursday (February 4) members that social media and online resources through schools were being used to raise awareness in the demographic and a planned household letter about upcoming elections would also signpost to information for young people.

Pembrokeshire youth and sports service would also be highlighting the opportunity.

Electoral services officer Sian Waters said that prior to lockdown last year young people in the county had participated face to face engagement which had been successful and they had been involved in the 2016 discussions around lowering the voting age.

She told the committee that there were 1,095 of Pembrokeshire’s young people registered to vote, 35 per cent, which is “significantly lower than we hoped it would be at this stage.”

The closure of schools had impacted this and further work to encourage schools to take up online resources would be carried out and there was a national ‘Votes at 16’ week coming up.

More information can be found at pembrokeshire.gov.uk including a link to register to vote at gov.uk/register-to-vote

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