Written question WQ86453
- Asked by
- James EvansConservative
- To be answered by
- Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the reasons for turnout never reaching 50 percent at Senedd elections since 1999?
Answer
Answered by Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Voter turnout at the 2021 Senedd elections was the highest since 1999.
The Welsh Government is committed to supporting and enabling all citizens in Wales to become engaged and active within the democratic process.
However, there is no one size fits all approach which will address any lack of interest in our democracy and low voter turnout as there are multiple, different barriers and reasons which prevent the public engaging with elections and democracy more widely.
Our Electoral Reform White Paper recognises these issues and seeks to address process and structural barriers to voting, but if we want to engage and enthuse more of the Welsh public to become active citizens in our democracy, we need to understand the democratic health of the nation beyond electoral turnout. I have therefore commissioned research from the Wales Centre for Public Policy on defining, measuring and monitoring democratic health in Wales.