MORE than half of young people in Wales want the voting age lowered to 16, according to a National Assembly for Wales consultation.

Launched in November by the Presiding Officer and Newport West AM, Dame Rosemary Butler, the #Votes16Wales consultation has received more than 10,000 responses from 11 to 25-year-olds across Wales – the biggest ever response to an Assembly consultation.

Some of the key findings include:

• 53 per cent of respondents said yes to lowering the voting age to 16, 29 per cent said no, while 18 per cent were unsure.

• 51 per cent ranked the polling station as their preferred voting method.

• 79 per cent think it’s important for young people to learn about politics and the voting system.

• 77 per cent chose school/college as the best place to learn about politics and the voting system.

• 64 per cent said they would like to learn more about the political system.

• 58 per cent said they would vote at an election tomorrow if they were eligible.

“This is the biggest ever response we’ve had to an Assembly consultation and therefore offers an authoritative analysis of the views of young people on this issue,” Dame Rosemary said.

“This report is a unique contribution to the debate about lowering the voting age. Whilst politicians at Westminster and here in the Senedd have debated the issue at length, this gives us crucial insight to the views of the people directly affected by a potential change in the law.

“At a time when the Secretary of State for Wales is finalising a new draft Wales Bill to include devolving electoral arrangements for Assembly elections, the sample size and the considered view of young people as highlighted in the report gives me a clear mandate to inform Assembly Members that it is the will of the young people of Wales to lower the voting age to 16.