Welsh election: Thousands of 16-17-year-olds not registered to vote

Thousands of young voters are running out of time to register to vote at the Welsh election, statistics show.

For the first time about 70,000 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to vote when the polls open on 6 May.

But, figures gathered by the Election Reform Society (ERS) suggest fewer than 9,000 are registered in six counties - the deadline to do so is this Monday.

Jess Blair, of the ERS, said young people were "at risk of not having their say".

WALES ALERTS: Get extra updates on BBC election coverage

"Young people need to be heard", says Sophie, from Nelson

Sophie, a first-time voter from Nelson, in Caerphilly, says she registered because "young people need to be heard".

• Will 16 and 17-year-olds vote?

• How did votes for younger people happen?

"By every young person registering to vote, the politicians will listen to our voices and change will happen," she said.

Sixteen-year-old Caitlin, from Brecon, said it was "so important" for young people to register to vote.

She said: "For so long young people haven't had much representation and now we are able to represent ourselves, I think it's important to vote for what we feel is important and right."

"Registering to vote is really easy, it doesn't take long - you should register to vote now you have the chance to get your opinion heard," she added.

'Devalues democracy'

Maham, Joshua and Rosie are excited to vote for the first time

Rosie, Maham and Joshua are all first-time voters from Newport.

Rosie, 16, said she was a bit nervous as she was not too sure about the procedure of voting but added her parents had been answering questions. She said she believed her voice could make a difference.

Joshua, 17, said he was also nervous but added that if people did not use their votes it devalued democracy.

Sixteen-year-old Maham said she was excited to vote for the first time but said she believed young people had not registered because of a lack of information and they may not know they were eligible to vote.

After legal changes the voting age was lowered in time for the Senedd election, allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote for the first time in an election in Wales.

The move follows Scotland - where the voting ages were similarly lowered, enabling votes in the 2014 independence referendum and the 2016 Holyrood election.

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While the exact number of young voters who have not yet registered to vote in Wales is not known, data provided by the ERS shows large differences in numbers who have registered so far depending on where they live.

• Parties 'must engage with teenage voters'

Official figures show 2,358,070 people in Wales had registered to vote by 2 March - out of an estimated population of about 3.15 million.

Out of Wales' 22 councils only six provided information on how many 16 to 17-year-olds had registered to vote by 7 April.

In Swansea, 1,697 had registered (32.6%), 1,107 had in Neath Port Talbot (35.3%) and 1,138 had in Pembrokeshire (41.3%).

While in Conwy numbers were higher with 1,383 or 57.2% of 16-year-olds registered, in Denbighshire 1,229 (57.7%) and in Vale of Glamorgan it was 1,969 (64.9%).

The voter numbers were compared to population age estimates for each of the areas, in 2019, to estimate what percentage of young people had registered to vote.

Ms Blair said the estimates appeared to "confirm fears that thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds are at risk of not having their say" on 6 May.

"The Senedd elections represent a huge opportunity for young people to make their voices heard on a range of issues that affect their lives including education, health and the economy," she said.

"The extension of the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds should be a historic moment for Wales, but to make that happen 16 and 17-year-olds need to register and turn out to vote."

How do I register to vote?

If you are not already registered, you have until 23:59 on 19 April to sign up. You need to visit the government website and fill in the online form.

You can apply by post if you prefer.

If you are not sure whether you are registered, you can get in touch with your local council's election team.

WALES ELECTION: THE BASICS

What's happening? On 6 May, people will vote to elect 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). The party that can command the support of a majority of MSs will form the Welsh government. Find out more here.

What powers does the Senedd have? MSs pass laws on aspects of life in Wales such as health, education and transport - and have some tax powers.

Who can vote? Anyone who lives in Wales, is registered to vote and aged 16 or over on 6 May is eligible. You can register to vote online.

• POLICY GUIDE: Who should I vote for?

• BASICS: A simple guide to the Welsh election

• REGISTERING: How do I vote this year?