How does the Welsh Government intend to address the potential challenges posed by the closed list system and encourage higher voter turnout in upcoming elections?
The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill seeks to ensure that no Member will be returned through a disproportionate first-past-the-post system, facilitating a Senedd that more accurately represents the choice of voters expressed at an election and ensuring that every vote counts.
By providing a single route to election, as opposed to the current mixed-member approach, we are also creating a simplified, consistent system that is familiar and easily understandable to voters.
More broadly, we are continuing to work with partners to help close knowledge and confidence gaps particularly, but not exclusively, faced by young people and qualifying foreign citizens. In 2023-24, our Democratic Engagement Grant is supporting 17 projects to reach, engage and enthuse communities across Wales to participate in the democratic process, with national, regional, and local projects covering a wide range of our population. We have several projects that will be continuing their activity in to the 2024-25 financial year, ensuring there is engagement activity across a consistent period.
Our Welsh Democratic Engagement Partnership brings together representatives from organisations across Wales, and the wider UK, who all share an interest in building and strengthening participation. The ethos of the partnership is to give organisations a space to have discussions on approaches to engaging communities as well as encouraging collaborative working where possible.