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| The UK electoral system was aptly described as "steampunk" in the National Assembly earlier this week. Could bringing it into the 21st century re-engage young people? (Pic : laweekly.com) |
Earlier this week there was another interesting Individual Members' Debate, this time on voter registration and election turnouts.
That's all the more important, as the switch from household to individual voter registration has caused serious problems in the run up to May's House of Commons election; particularly amongst students who were usually registered by their universities when moving to a hall of residence.
A cross-party selection of AMs (though no Conservatives) put forward a motion :
- Noting initiatives like Bite the Ballot to encourage youth registration.
- Regretting low turnouts in National Assembly elections, calling for more youth engagement.
- Calling for better data-sharing between electoral officers to target and increase voter registration amongst under-represented groups.
The Welsh Government, in a
highly-unusual step, tabled an amendment calling for the UK
Government to carry forward people who were already on the previous
electoral register to the 2016 Assembly elections.
Steampunks & Simple Tasks
Simon Thomas AM (Plaid, Mid & West Wales) underlined the need to ensure young people's contribution to civic life was as comprehensive as any other age group (clip) – but he stressed it was a separate argument to votes at 16, highlighting that the first generation educated under devolution will be eligible to vote in the 2016 Assembly elections.
Simon said it's "sobering" that the 58% turnout in the 1979 devolution referendum was the highest for a Wales-only election; this compares to the 70% turnout amongst 16-24 year olds alone in the Scottish independence referendum last year (average turnouts for Assembly elections are ~43%).
The fact only half of 16-17 year olds are registered to vote presented a "challenge to democracy". Numerous initiatives have been proposed - such as school councils and electronic voting – but there was a need to guarantee the "fundamental principle" that every generation has an equal voice, citing evidence that suggests if someone doesn't vote in their first three elections they'll never vote.
The changes to the voter registration system has resulted in up to an estimated million people falling off the electoral roll (later on, Peter Black [Lib Dem, South Wales West] argued that nobody knows exactly how many people have fallen off). He described the electoral system as a "steam punk" throwback to the Edwardian age, with "buses having more technology than the voting process". He finished by saying if young people's lives aren't reflected by changing the electoral system, "we (AMs) don't deserve their support, and perhaps don't deserve to be here".
Aled Roberts AM (Lib Dem, North Wales) praised the Bite the Ballot initiative (clip), which set goals to register a certain number of people in a day - in one case they managed 440,000 registrations in a week. Aled said he doesn't believe the current system has much support, while there was cross-party support to improve youth engagement.
He was concerned by the figures quoted by Simon Thomas, such as 1,000 electors falling off the roll in one ward. Aled wondered if students were aware of their rights, and the ability to register away from home - an issue that even confuses AMs with second homes in Cardiff.
Jenny Rathbone AM's (Lab, Cardiff Central) constituency has been hit particularly hard since the changes (clip), with an estimated 23,000 voters falling off the register. She said that although politicians should reach out to the electorate, the electorate in turn must reach out to them; and she was disappointed by the high numbers of students who were unaware of what they needed to do to register, even though they can do it online.
Jenny believes the changes "deliberately suppress" the number of people on the roll - 25% of people have trouble with literacy and will find it difficult to fill out forms. With the poorest the least likely to vote anyway, this will make problems worse. Jenny supports votes at 16 to ensure schools and colleges spell out the importance of elections and catch the whole population before they go their separate ways at 18, warning that if people don't participate in elections they'll find other ways to express their views which "are much less healthy" (like blogging, perhaps?).
Keith Davies AM (Lab, Llanelli) said he was also in favour of votes at 16 (clip) after being impressed by the political knowledge of young people. He stressed the importance of getting those who have a right to vote to exercise that right, and was pleased there was consensus in the chamber. Keith said education was at the heart of the issue, and Bite the Ballot used methods to disseminate information which were targeted at young people, making it a very effective channel.
Despite talk of the Scottish referendum, Keith said every election has an impact on the future, but one major issue was the literature and language used by institutions such as the Assembly, which make politics inaccessible; though the Assembly's outreach team make a conscious effort to produce youth-friendly documents.
Jeff Cuthbert AM (Lab, Caerphilly) noted the rise of populist parties on the left and right – in addition to the Scottish referendum – which showed "we live in highly-politicised times" (clip). It was therefore more important the young are engaged, and he often emphasises the importance of registering to vote to young visitors to the Assembly, even if they're dissatisfied with politics as a whole. He warned that is people become apathetic they can be exploited by "populist demagogues....and tyrants".
Although Jeff was in favour of clamping down on electoral fraud, he was concerned that individual registration was pushing groups with traditionally low voter turnouts off the register. He raised the idea of compulsory voting, which he admits divides people; but permanent disengagement was so dangerous, "it's an idea worth considering".
He took an intervention from Simon Thomas - who doesn't agree with compulsory voting, but was willing to have a debate on it. Simon added that it was important to make sure everyone was registered before introducing compulsory voting.
Responding on behalf of the Welsh Government (clip), Public Services Minister, Leighton Andrews (Lab, Rhondda), noted the unusual step of the government tabling an amendment to an individual member debate.
He praised Bite the Ballot, NUS Wales, Ceredigion Council (who used novel ways to encourage students to register) and the Electoral Reform Society, but offered his own criticism of individual registration – criticism echoed by electoral officers in local government. The amendment was added to ensure there wasn't a further drop off the electoral register between the 2015 and 2016 elections.
Leighton said that young people are actively engage in political issues, but cynical of the political process. If people can see that bodies like the Assembly represent themselves they might become more engaged. However, he warned – along similar lines to other contributors - that democracy only works if people participate, and not doing so risks social detachment and extremist political activity.
Rounding off the debate, Ann Jones AM (Lab, Vale of Clwyd) said that for her it's come to a point where she doesn't care how people vote, she just wants them registered (clip). She noted how many young people vote by text on reality shows like The X-Factor, and we should ask electoral officers to bring the system into the 21st Century.
She was (somewhat) embarrassed the previous Labour UK Government introduced individual registration, and it has had unintended consequences. Despite this, Ann said registering to vote is a "simple task, but many are frightened of it", making it the job of politicians and electoral officials to build trust.
The amended version of the motion was approved by 38 votes to 10.
Poundshop Enoch Powells & Farmfoods Noam Chomskys
Steampunks & Simple Tasks
Simon Thomas AM (Plaid, Mid & West Wales) underlined the need to ensure young people's contribution to civic life was as comprehensive as any other age group (clip) – but he stressed it was a separate argument to votes at 16, highlighting that the first generation educated under devolution will be eligible to vote in the 2016 Assembly elections.
Simon said it's "sobering" that the 58% turnout in the 1979 devolution referendum was the highest for a Wales-only election; this compares to the 70% turnout amongst 16-24 year olds alone in the Scottish independence referendum last year (average turnouts for Assembly elections are ~43%).
The fact only half of 16-17 year olds are registered to vote presented a "challenge to democracy". Numerous initiatives have been proposed - such as school councils and electronic voting – but there was a need to guarantee the "fundamental principle" that every generation has an equal voice, citing evidence that suggests if someone doesn't vote in their first three elections they'll never vote.
The changes to the voter registration system has resulted in up to an estimated million people falling off the electoral roll (later on, Peter Black [Lib Dem, South Wales West] argued that nobody knows exactly how many people have fallen off). He described the electoral system as a "steam punk" throwback to the Edwardian age, with "buses having more technology than the voting process". He finished by saying if young people's lives aren't reflected by changing the electoral system, "we (AMs) don't deserve their support, and perhaps don't deserve to be here".
Aled Roberts AM (Lib Dem, North Wales) praised the Bite the Ballot initiative (clip), which set goals to register a certain number of people in a day - in one case they managed 440,000 registrations in a week. Aled said he doesn't believe the current system has much support, while there was cross-party support to improve youth engagement.
He was concerned by the figures quoted by Simon Thomas, such as 1,000 electors falling off the roll in one ward. Aled wondered if students were aware of their rights, and the ability to register away from home - an issue that even confuses AMs with second homes in Cardiff.
Jenny Rathbone AM's (Lab, Cardiff Central) constituency has been hit particularly hard since the changes (clip), with an estimated 23,000 voters falling off the register. She said that although politicians should reach out to the electorate, the electorate in turn must reach out to them; and she was disappointed by the high numbers of students who were unaware of what they needed to do to register, even though they can do it online.
Jenny believes the changes "deliberately suppress" the number of people on the roll - 25% of people have trouble with literacy and will find it difficult to fill out forms. With the poorest the least likely to vote anyway, this will make problems worse. Jenny supports votes at 16 to ensure schools and colleges spell out the importance of elections and catch the whole population before they go their separate ways at 18, warning that if people don't participate in elections they'll find other ways to express their views which "are much less healthy" (like blogging, perhaps?).
Keith Davies AM (Lab, Llanelli) said he was also in favour of votes at 16 (clip) after being impressed by the political knowledge of young people. He stressed the importance of getting those who have a right to vote to exercise that right, and was pleased there was consensus in the chamber. Keith said education was at the heart of the issue, and Bite the Ballot used methods to disseminate information which were targeted at young people, making it a very effective channel.
Despite talk of the Scottish referendum, Keith said every election has an impact on the future, but one major issue was the literature and language used by institutions such as the Assembly, which make politics inaccessible; though the Assembly's outreach team make a conscious effort to produce youth-friendly documents.
Jeff Cuthbert AM (Lab, Caerphilly) noted the rise of populist parties on the left and right – in addition to the Scottish referendum – which showed "we live in highly-politicised times" (clip). It was therefore more important the young are engaged, and he often emphasises the importance of registering to vote to young visitors to the Assembly, even if they're dissatisfied with politics as a whole. He warned that is people become apathetic they can be exploited by "populist demagogues....and tyrants".
Although Jeff was in favour of clamping down on electoral fraud, he was concerned that individual registration was pushing groups with traditionally low voter turnouts off the register. He raised the idea of compulsory voting, which he admits divides people; but permanent disengagement was so dangerous, "it's an idea worth considering".
He took an intervention from Simon Thomas - who doesn't agree with compulsory voting, but was willing to have a debate on it. Simon added that it was important to make sure everyone was registered before introducing compulsory voting.
Responding on behalf of the Welsh Government (clip), Public Services Minister, Leighton Andrews (Lab, Rhondda), noted the unusual step of the government tabling an amendment to an individual member debate.
He praised Bite the Ballot, NUS Wales, Ceredigion Council (who used novel ways to encourage students to register) and the Electoral Reform Society, but offered his own criticism of individual registration – criticism echoed by electoral officers in local government. The amendment was added to ensure there wasn't a further drop off the electoral register between the 2015 and 2016 elections.
Leighton said that young people are actively engage in political issues, but cynical of the political process. If people can see that bodies like the Assembly represent themselves they might become more engaged. However, he warned – along similar lines to other contributors - that democracy only works if people participate, and not doing so risks social detachment and extremist political activity.
Rounding off the debate, Ann Jones AM (Lab, Vale of Clwyd) said that for her it's come to a point where she doesn't care how people vote, she just wants them registered (clip). She noted how many young people vote by text on reality shows like The X-Factor, and we should ask electoral officers to bring the system into the 21st Century.
She was (somewhat) embarrassed the previous Labour UK Government introduced individual registration, and it has had unintended consequences. Despite this, Ann said registering to vote is a "simple task, but many are frightened of it", making it the job of politicians and electoral officials to build trust.
The amended version of the motion was approved by 38 votes to 10.
Poundshop Enoch Powells & Farmfoods Noam Chomskys
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| PARKLIFE! |
See
kids, this is what institutional politics is all about! Exciting,
isn't it?
I've covered the reasons why young people might switch off from politics and votes at 16 before, so I'll leave that alone today.
There are large sections of the population who aren't on politicians' radars, as campaigns are increasingly reduced to fighting for votes from specific groups of people. The forthcoming election, and pretty much every election for the past 20-odd years, has been fought around financially-squeezed lower middle-class families, working mothers and pensioners.
For those not on the radar, at one end, the "Poundshop Enoch Powell" is targeting angry old white men and blue collar Tories by saying he can bring back mythological glory days.
For disenfranchised "yoof" and "the precariat", the "Farmfoods Noam Chomsky" is telling them to stay at home. He may have a point about there being "nothing worth voting for" - it's very hard not to be nihilistic when it comes to modern politics - but he's preaching to the converted; the young and urban poor don't turn out in big numbers anyway.
Individual voter registration – on paper – makes sense. The problem, as many contributors to the debate highlighted, is the electoral system is so outdated, and participation offers so little reward at the end of it, it's not something students in particular are going to be bothered about when they have other concerns.
This blog probably means I count as being "politically engaged", but even I question the value of voting and representative democracy and, at a basic level, I'm talking to people like myself in the same way politicians often do.
We should be able to vote anywhere, at any time, and the technology should be in place to prevent fraud – whether that's individual voter cards that travel with a person, QR codes or an Estonian-style e-citizenship.
I would be against compulsory voting though, as Borthlas covered earlier this week.
I can understand politicians being concerned about turnouts as representative democracy is, at its heart, a personality and popularity contest. They shouldn't go down the road of forcing people to vote; they should be asking themselves why people don't vote. The trouble is they know they won't like the answer, as low turnouts are not only a "vote of no confidence" in the political system, but politicians as a whole.
I have to admit being slightly amused by the doom-laden warnings from some AMs about tyrants and political extremism. I don't know if many AMs have noticed, but there are no massed throngs banging on the windows of the Senedd building and no guillotines being constructed in Roald Dahl Plas.
The result of apathy is, in the main, just apathy. It only turns to extremism when apathy and ignorance are combined with poor living standards; things like : not being able to afford a roof over your head, public services being stripped to the bone, paying through the nose to get a higher level qualification and then fighting like cats in a bag for the few decent-paying jobs waiting for you at the end of it. Things like that.
Politicians should count themselves lucky that the under-30s are so easily distracted. If you want to register to vote, you can do so here - the deadline (to be able to vote this year) is April 20th.
I've covered the reasons why young people might switch off from politics and votes at 16 before, so I'll leave that alone today.
There are large sections of the population who aren't on politicians' radars, as campaigns are increasingly reduced to fighting for votes from specific groups of people. The forthcoming election, and pretty much every election for the past 20-odd years, has been fought around financially-squeezed lower middle-class families, working mothers and pensioners.
For those not on the radar, at one end, the "Poundshop Enoch Powell" is targeting angry old white men and blue collar Tories by saying he can bring back mythological glory days.
For disenfranchised "yoof" and "the precariat", the "Farmfoods Noam Chomsky" is telling them to stay at home. He may have a point about there being "nothing worth voting for" - it's very hard not to be nihilistic when it comes to modern politics - but he's preaching to the converted; the young and urban poor don't turn out in big numbers anyway.
Individual voter registration – on paper – makes sense. The problem, as many contributors to the debate highlighted, is the electoral system is so outdated, and participation offers so little reward at the end of it, it's not something students in particular are going to be bothered about when they have other concerns.
This blog probably means I count as being "politically engaged", but even I question the value of voting and representative democracy and, at a basic level, I'm talking to people like myself in the same way politicians often do.
We should be able to vote anywhere, at any time, and the technology should be in place to prevent fraud – whether that's individual voter cards that travel with a person, QR codes or an Estonian-style e-citizenship.
I would be against compulsory voting though, as Borthlas covered earlier this week.
I can understand politicians being concerned about turnouts as representative democracy is, at its heart, a personality and popularity contest. They shouldn't go down the road of forcing people to vote; they should be asking themselves why people don't vote. The trouble is they know they won't like the answer, as low turnouts are not only a "vote of no confidence" in the political system, but politicians as a whole.
I have to admit being slightly amused by the doom-laden warnings from some AMs about tyrants and political extremism. I don't know if many AMs have noticed, but there are no massed throngs banging on the windows of the Senedd building and no guillotines being constructed in Roald Dahl Plas.
The result of apathy is, in the main, just apathy. It only turns to extremism when apathy and ignorance are combined with poor living standards; things like : not being able to afford a roof over your head, public services being stripped to the bone, paying through the nose to get a higher level qualification and then fighting like cats in a bag for the few decent-paying jobs waiting for you at the end of it. Things like that.
Politicians should count themselves lucky that the under-30s are so easily distracted. If you want to register to vote, you can do so here - the deadline (to be able to vote this year) is April 20th.
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