Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:06 pm on 17 November 2021.
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Effectively run elections are the cornerstone of any good democracy, and it's important that voters feel that voting is accessible to them. On polling day for the Senedd earlier this year, understandably because of COVID regulations, we had to vote in a different way. But one side effect of that were long queues at many polling stations, some up to two hours, and I know of one polling station in Cardiff West that was still taking votes at 11.30 at night. Naturally, some people turned away.
Last week, we discussed voting inclusion, the inclusion of as many voters as we can in this Senedd. Having to queue for so long, especially if there's adverse weather, especially if it's late at night, will mean that voting isn't accessible for all people, really, but especially the elderly, especially people with young children, especially people living with disabilities. With the possibility of COVID regulations still being in place at next year's May elections, what discussions have you had with local authorities to ensure that voting is as accessible as possible and that we don't see a repeat of the long queues that we saw in the May Senedd elections? Diolch yn fawr.