<p>Compulsory Voting</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:58 pm on 13 June 2017.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 1:58, 13 June 2017

I thank the First Minister for that answer. And on the subject of voting, I thank him for his leadership of the Welsh Labour election campaign, which, in contrast to that of the party opposite, was both strong and stable. [Interruption.] Another feature of the campaign was an increase in turnout, and yet one in three people did not vote. Compulsory voting is no substitute for political engagement or political education, but as well as being a right that people have fought for and died for, it can also be seen as a civic obligation that we owe one to another. As the Welsh Government and the National Assembly consider voting arrangements in the future, notwithstanding the Welsh Government’s position, will he ensure that the experience of Australia and Belgium is taken into full account, and that of other countries where that civic obligation has been enshrined in law?