Voters trusted themselves to vote at 16 – let’s expand the franchise Do you think you should have been able to vote from 16? New research commissioned by The Body Shop and The British Youth Council has found that 64% of adults would have liked to have... Posted 18 Aug 2023
Exploring the franchise: Who can vote in UK elections? The franchise has been in the news recently due to Labour considering plans to extend the franchise to resident EU citizens and 16 and 17 year olds. The question of who gets to vote in... Posted 25 May 2023
Electoral Commission report calls for better political education in Wales The Electoral Commission report on May 2022’s local elections in Wales, published yesterday, highlights that the extension of the franchise is only the first step in ensuring the participation of new groups of voters in... Posted 22 Sep 2022
First time votes for 16 and 17 year olds in Wales – what Westminster can learn This week we saw history happen in Wales. After years of ERS Cyrmu campaigning for the rights of 16 and 17 year olds to vote in Wales, the first election with an expanded franchise took... Posted 07 May 2021
My 20 years of campaigning for votes at 16 This is a guest post from Kelly Harris, a qualified youth worker who has worked with children and young people for 20 years across Wales. I still find it hard to believe that it has been... Posted 26 Apr 2021
7 democratic developments to watch out for this year What does democracy look like in a pandemic? It’s a question that came up a lot last year – and 2021 seems no different. This year could see some major developments when it comes to... Posted 18 Jan 2021
Right to scrap First Past the Post won for Welsh councils UPDATE: On Wednesday 21st January, the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill became law after receiving Royal Assent. Now the campaign begins to ensure councils in Wales sign up to a fairer voting system, and... Posted 18 Nov 2020
Welsh Parliament to vote on letting councils scrap first past the post Local government is one of our most important layers of representation, delivering everyday frontline services such as social care and waste collection. Yet, for many people local government doesn’t feel that representative and that’s because... Posted 17 Nov 2020
16 and 17 year olds have secured the right to vote in Wales 16 and 17 year olds officially secure the right to vote in Wales’ on Monday 1st June, for Senedd elections. Posted 01 Jun 2020
Votes at 16/17: It’s time for a fair and equal franchise across the UK We cannot leave another generation behind. Let’s build a stronger franchise – to start revitalising our democracy and rebuilding trust in politics at last. Posted 07 May 2020