George Osborne is far from the only Tory backing Votes at 16 Votes at 16 not a Tory policy? Think again. George Osborne has become the latest in a succession of Conservatives to throw his weight behind extending the franchise. He tweeted this week: More Tory MPs... Posted 16 Feb 2018
Welsh Assembly must not miss this golden opportunity for reform Politics in Wales has reached a critical juncture – and this week Assembly Members (AMs) have a big decision to make. One road would see exciting changes to the way politicians are elected, placing power... Posted 06 Feb 2018
Wales is leading the way on democratic reform. The Prime Minister should take note The Welsh Government have just launched proposals that could revitalise democracy. But they could also send shock-waves to Westminster. In 2014, 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland won the right to vote in the... Posted 30 Jan 2018
Survey results add weight to argument for Votes at 16 When reformers argue in favour of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, they often do so by stating what other things those within that bracket are already doing (paying taxes, driving etc.) For many people these arguments will ring true – but for... Posted 22 Jan 2018
Hearing from ‘Missing Voices’ – confusion, frustration and hope in Welsh politics Jess Blair reflects on the results of Wales’ largest ever in-depth survey on how people feel about politics in Wales. ‘What does politics mean to you?” It’s a tough question, and even more difficult to... Posted 11 Dec 2017
Wales tears down barriers to democracy as England fortifies them Last week Wales has shown just what devolution can do: allow new ways of doing democracy. On Tuesday the Welsh government launched a consultation that has the potential to be a game-changer when it comes... Posted 27 Jul 2017
Citizenship education paves the way for votes at 16 With Wales looking to equalise their voting age with Scotland for local elections at 16, we asked our work experience student Carla to explain what impact the citizenship education classes she’d recent completed would have... Posted 19 Jul 2017
The next government must extend votes at 16 beyond Scotland You might not have realised, but on Thursday, thousands of 16 and 17 year olds trekked to polling stations across the country to exercise their democratic right to vote. They went with the full support... Posted 05 May 2017
An exciting time to join ERS Cymru As she joins us as the new Director of ERS Cymru, Jess Blair sets out the challenges and opportunities for deepening Welsh democracy. In the last twelve months the political landscape across the world has... Posted 14 Mar 2017
Scotland leads the way on votes at 16 Yesterday, two very different things happened around the same issue in Scotland and England. At 4:22pm in Westminster, during a debate on the EU Referendum Bill, MPs voted 310-265 against giving 16 and 17 year... Posted 19 Jun 2015