(Title Image: Senedd Cymru via Twitter)
- First Minister endorses many recommendations of the Electoral Planning Group.
- A draft Bill is being prepared in case the election needs to be delayed for up to six months (at the Llywydd’s discretion).
- Differences of opinion on multi-day voting as First Minister suggests early voting centres are considered.
The First Minister has endorsed the recent report of the Election Planning Group, which recommended that planning for next year’s Senedd election should go ahead on the presumption that it’ll happen on May 6th 2021 as planned.
Other measures endorsed include:
- People should be encouraged to register early for a postal vote to discourage a late rush for applications, with a particular emphasis on those people who’ve been asked to shield during the pandemic or are otherwise vulnerable.
- There’s support for a degree of flexibility concerning proxy voting whilst maintaining measures against electoral fraud. It’s suggested, for example, that a single proxy could vote for multiple people (i.e. if a household is self-isolating).
- Voting in an election will be considered an “reasonable excuse” to leave home in the event of future local lockdowns.
- Vote counts could take longer to protect count staff and other election officials.
One new measure supported by the First Minister was the prospect of early voting centres being set up to spread voting over multiple days.
The First Minister also confirmed that a back-up plan was being prepared in the form of a draft law, which would be introduced to the Senedd if it’s deemed necessary to delay the election for up to six months. Under the Government of Wales Act 2006, the election can only be delayed or brought forward by a month.
The measures were broadly welcomed by the opposition, with the usual caveats that measures are put in place to ensure voters have confidence in the process. Labour backbenchers who spoke during the discussion backed, in principle, holding the vote over several days.
The only major differences in opinion were the Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies MS’s (Con, Preseli Pembs.) desire for polling to still take place from 7 am – 10 pm on a single day, and Adam Price MS (Plaid, Carms. E. & Dinefwr) raising the issue of complications associated with the delayed Police & Crime Commissioner elections (meaning different election rules being applied to different elections).
