Written question WQ93505

We are continuing to promote participation in democratic processes through our Democratic Engagement Grant, which supports organisations to increase voter participation and ensure that every citizen can play their full part in our democracy.

In 2023-24, we supported 16 projects that worked directly with individuals and communities to understand the barriers to participation and to overcome these through education and support.

Some of the people our funded projects supported were:

• Young people in schools, further education settings and youth groups.

• The Deaf community.

• Adults with learning disabilities.

• Foreign nationals eligible to vote.

• The Gypsy and Traveller community.

In 2024-25 we are pleased to be currently supporting 8 projects, 5 of which are new, which will expand our reach into new areas including:

• Supporting university students to explore their role in the democratic process.

• Encouraging and supporting women to take steps towards standing for political office.

In addition, we are currently in the process of welcoming new applications for funding which will further strengthen our commitment to increasing democratic participation in Wales.

The work the previous projects have carried out and what the current projects are actively doing is essential in not just engaging and encouraging those who may face barriers to participation that they can be heard, but also allows us to better understand what may prevent those such barriers.

It is important that we agree that supporting citizens to vote at Senedd elections is the responsibility of us all, not just government and other public bodies. We, as Members of the Senedd and political parties, must support better information, better campaigning, and better engagement to ensure turnout is as high as possible at the next election.