Eligibility to Vote

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:54 pm on 10 July 2018.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 1:54, 10 July 2018

Thank you, First Minister. I've been contacted by a former constituent who's written to me to say that he feels disenfranchised at not being able to vote in Welsh elections. He was born in Wales and raised locally and has extensive family in mid Wales. He moved from mid Wales to Shropshire, where his job took him, and then went to work abroad. Contacting the election office in Powys, they've advised him that, as an overseas resident, he can only register to vote where he last lived. So, as a Welsh national, he is able to vote in a UK general election, but he can't vote in a Welsh general election. So, this does seem to me to be an anomaly. Can I ask if you are aware of this issue? If you are, has the Welsh Government made and could the Welsh Government make representation to the Electoral Commission?