Ballot boxes in supermarkets and Sunday voting are amongst the ‘gimmicks’ being proposed to boost voter turnout, according to Local Government Secretary – Alun Davies.

He wants to encourage local authorities to make voting more “attractive, welcoming and transparent.”

However, Welsh Conservatives are calling on the Welsh Government to focus on the substance underpinning low turnout, and to have an “honest conversation” about voter disengagement.

Shadow Local Government Secretary, Janet Finch-Saunders, is warning that superficial rebrands could make the problem worse.

She said:

“Democracy isn’t about gimmicks and show business, it’s about representation.

“People need a reason to engage with the political system and that’s our job as elected politicians.

“But it’s patronising to think that the answer to low turnout is to move voting infrastructure closer to our doorsteps, or into supermarkets.

“In reality, the problem is more deep-seated than that.

“We need to be having an honest conversation about why young people are disengaged from devolution or from their local councils – and make the political process more engaging and relevant. Not force people to register to vote.

“In the end, this kind of ‘down with the kids’ rebrand can actually make things worse, because it underlines how far out of touch the political class really is.

“There is also an inherent danger that however well-intentioned, these reforms make the process less transparent and could lead to higher levels of voting fraud.”

ENDS