{"id":50873,"date":"2021-02-23T12:44:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T12:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=50873"},"modified":"2021-02-23T17:57:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T17:57:00","slug":"parallel-election-launched-to-boost-interest-in-politics-among-children-in-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2021\/02\/23\/parallel-election-launched-to-boost-interest-in-politics-among-children-in-wales\/","title":{"rendered":"Parallel election launched to boost interest in politics among children in Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Project Vote comes as thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds head to the polls for the first time in May<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>THE Children\u2019s Commissioner for Wales has launched a parallel election to show how the Senedd would look if only 11 to 15-year-olds voted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The campaign, named Project Vote, will involve young people voting for real candidates in their constituencies based on their school\u2019s postcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They will also be able to vote for parties from a regional list, just as they would in the real Senedd election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sally Holland, Children\u2019s Commissioner for Wales, said: \u201cI listen to thousands of young people across Wales every year, and so many of them want to know more about politics and how they can get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot only do I hope that Project Vote will give young people a better understanding of politics and elections in Wales, but I hope that it will inspire many to have their say in other ways, even if they are not able to vote for real.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Voting will take place online and will be held over a fortnight at the end of April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Results will be published after polls for the real Senedd election close on May 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central, said: &#8220;We all have a duty to consider how we best engage this next generation of young voters, and initiatives like Project Vote are a great way to bring elections and the work of the Senedd directly to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d urge as many schools as possible to get involved &#8211; and the very best of luck to everyone taking part&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Children&#039;s Commissioner For Wales: Project Vote\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NpVoJJsY2Kw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Children&#039;s Commissioner For Wales: Project Vote\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NpVoJJsY2Kw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><figcaption>A video guide to the parallel election. Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/tinywizardstudio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tiny Wizard Studio.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The parallel election is part of a wider move to improve political literacy among young people as 70,000 16 and 17-year-olds head to the polls for the first time in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Angharad James, 16, is one of these first-time voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I am interested in politics,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but I don&#8217;t believe that politicians represent young people&#8217;s voices, especially in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Being able to vote this year, I feel more included in important political decisions that may affect my future.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.electoral-reform.org.uk\/ers-cymru-leads-calls-for-political-parties-to-engage-with-new-voters-ahead-of-wales-may-elections\/\">Electoral Reform Society<\/a> (ERS), 69% of 16 to 24-year-olds&nbsp;think the Senedd Elections are important &#8211; a higher proportion than any other age group apart from over 65s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are also much more likely than all other age groups to have participated in some form of political activity within the last 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the ERS found that almost half of 16 to 24-year-olds would be unlikely to contact their MS or MP regarding an issue that could be addressed by either Parliament, indicating a lack of faith in elected politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help combat this, the Electoral Commission has created a range of resources aimed at first-time voters, while in Westminster an All Party Parliamentary Group on political literacy was launched earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Children\u2019s Commissioner for Wales has also written to all party leaders urging them to write versions of their manifestos aimed at young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West, said: &#8220;With 16 and 17-year-olds voting for the first time in this year&#8217;s Senedd elections, it is more important than ever to get young people engaged in Wales&#8217; democratic process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I agree that Project Vote is an opportunity for those too young to case their ballot to make their voices heard and to gain an understanding of democracy as a lesson for life.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Project Vote is open to all secondary schools in Wales, as well as other young people via youth clubs, primary schools and home education settings &#8211; sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectvote.wales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here.<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THE Children\u2019s Commissioner for Wales has launched a parallel election that will show how the Senedd would look if only 11 to 15-year-olds voted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":559,"featured_media":50920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,3,439],"tags":[6375,54,224,588,6376,3300],"coauthors":[6736],"class_list":["post-50873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city","category-news","category-diary","tag-2021-election","tag-children","tag-education","tag-senedd","tag-vote-at-16","tag-voting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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