Making Votes at 16 work in Wales

Young people aged 16 and 17 can now vote in Welsh elections. The 2021 Welsh Parliament elections were the first in which 16- and 17-year olds in Wales were allowed to vote. How did this first time opportunity turn out for young people? This is what we researched in this project. The ‘Making Votes at 16 work in Wales’-project evaluated young people’s experiences of the 2021 Senedd elections in Wales to find out what works to mobilise 16- and 17-year olds, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups, to turn out to vote.

We are pleased to announce the publication of our policy report ‘Making Votes-at-16 Work in Wales: Lessons for the Future’.

Download report	Download summary

On 8th November 2021, the project team in collaboration with the Welsh Government Local Government Democracy Division hosted an online event presenting new original evidence from the research with young people into their experiences of the 2021 Senedd election. The research presentation was the basis for a joint discussion on which lessons can be learnt from this first edition of Votes-at-16 in Wales for future Welsh elections. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/btysc48T18w

The project is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust’s UK Democracy Fund. It connects stakeholders in Wales with national and international stakeholders.

Find out more about our funders here: https://www.jrrt.org.uk/uk-df-franchise-in-wales/

On 8th November 2021, the project team in collaboration with the Welsh Government Local Government Democracy Division hosted an online event presenting new original evidence from research with young people into their experiences of the 2021 Senedd election – the first election in which 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in Wales. The research presentation was the basis for a joint discussion on which lessons can be learnt from this first edition of Votes-at-16 in Wales for future Welsh elections.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/btysc48T18w

On 24th February 2021, the project team hosted a webinar reviewing research evidence and discussing opportunities arising from the introduction of Votes-at-16 in Wales.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDBbrtL1A_0

Our interactive infographic allows policymakers, youth practitioners, and young people to experience the stages of young people’s voting journeys, read information on the barriers young people in Wales had to overcome, and view recommendations on how young people can be supported in each stage of the voting journey. It is of particular relevance to young people aged 16 and 17 who are eligible to vote for the first time, and for policymakers and practitioners working to engage these young people as first-time voters.

The voting journey is a visual representation of the processes that young people who are first-time voters go through in the period leading up to an election. It has multiple steps, each of which must be completed for a person to cast their ballot, and ultimately to establish long-term habits of political engagement. Each step of the voting journey indicates a point where some people drop off the journey, with fewer and fewer young people making it to the final stage and establishing long term habits of political engagement.

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Thank you for visiting our project webpage. If you have taken part in our research and would like to re-visit information including our Project Information Sheet and Consent form, you can access them here.

• Participant Information
• Participant Consent Form

As participants in this research, you are a highly valued part of our project. Please get in contact if you have any questions before, during and after the research.

The ‘Making Votes at 16 work in Wales’ research project has received ethical approval from Nottingham Trent University Ethics Committee. We follow strict guidelines on clear providing information to participants, consent, participant anonymity, and safeguarding of young people. We work closely and to the guidelines of our partner organisations in the community, including schools, colleges, youth groups and community organisations.

If you have any queries with regards to any of these issues, or anything relating to your involvement in the project, please get in touch with us:

Dr Katherine Smith at Katherine.smith@ntu.ac.uk or Dr Christine Huebner Christine.Huebner@ntu.ac.uk or phone us at 0115 848 4398.