Consultation Response
Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Deadline for submission: 10 January 2023
ColegauCymru highlighted the need for the principle of participation to be widened to include the responsibility of electoral administrators to improve the accessibility, quality and availability of information, particularly for young people who are voting for the first time, about the importance of taking part in elections and to support informed and ethical decision making.
The proposal to allow University students to register to vote during their enrolment week, should be extended to learners enrolling in colleges, Sixth Forms and with Work Based Learning Providers. Colleges offer a locale with which to support and provide both younger voters and those vulnerable young people with learning needs, a safe and familiar place to exercise their vote. Younger voters may also feel more comfortable using more modern, digital methods to exercise their vote online, on smartphones and laptops, and we would encourage further investigation into options for a fully online system. It is critical that learners have the opportunity to take part in elections through the medium of Welsh, and when considering the development of resources, and should be produced bilingually and made readily available for all learners across Wales.
As part of the new Curriculum for Wales, it is vital that any school resources are made available, accessible, and are appropriate for use by colleges and their learners.
Please contact ColegauCymru Policy Officer, Amy Evans, with any questions.
Amy.Evans@ColegauCymru.ac.uk
