Welsh Assembly extends voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the Welsh Assembly election in 2021 after members passed a groundbreaking bill.
The historic Senedd and Elections bill was today voted for by members resulting in the biggest shake-up of the Welsh democratic process in 60 years.
This means that 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in local and Welsh Assembly elections after the legislation comes into play in January 2020.
The last time the voting age was lowered, from 21 to 18, was in 1959.
Members passed the bill by 41 votes, just exceeding the two-thirds majority of 40 votes needed.
Llywydd of the Assembly, Elin Jones AM said: "This was a vote to empower our young people to participate in the democratic process by extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds – a move which, for some, is long overdue.
"I am pleased that Wales has taken this important step to strengthen the foundations of our parliamentary democracy, a move that future generations will thank us for."
Professor Laura McAllister, who chaired the Assembly’s Expert Reform Panel, added: "Today we have witnessed a monumental step forward on a historic day for Wales's 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 British Youth Council praised the move and called on Westminster to implement similar legislation.
Becca Moore, on behalf of the BYC, said: “Today we can celebrate a huge win for the thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds in Wales who will now have a chance to vote in Welsh Assembly elections and Welsh local council elections for the first time in 2021.
“We’ll continue to call on politicians in every other part of the UK to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds get a vote in all elections. It’s remarkable that we don’t have parity across the UK on this issue. Young people shouldn’t have unequal access to democracy and it's imperative this is changed as soon as possible.”