On the 5th of May elections will be held across Wales. An election will be held to elect 60 members of the Senedd to the Welsh Parliament. What’s exciting this time is that 16 and 17 year olds and foreign nationals will be able to vote for the first time in the Senedd election.

 The Senedd election is a way of influencing who will represent you and your local community in the Senedd, in Cardiff Bay, for the next 5 years. It is a way of choosing who will run the country and make important decisions that affect your life such as health, the environment, education, Welsh culture and language and much more.

At a Senedd election you will have two ballot papers one for the constituency and one for the region. A constituency is a local area as a County and a region is a larger area. You will need to select one constituency candidate and one political party or independent candidate for the region. In the end after all the counting and calculations you’ll have 5 members of the Senedd representing you (one constituency member and 4 regional members).

But why should I vote:

It allows you to choose representatives who will make decisions on issues that matter to you.

Climate change, Social Justice for Black lives, Independence for Wales, examinations and assessments. These are issues where young people have campaigned hard for the last two years, and whether you believe it or not, voting can have a dramatic impact on how the Senedd and the Government respond. The Welsh Government has more than £20 billion to spend on health, the environment, education, culture and the Welsh language, housing, farming and many more issues.

Without voting you would have no say in who will make these important decisions and who will make sure these decisions are right for Wales.

Politicians need to listen to the views of young people.

Some politicians sometimes use figures on who turns out to vote to create manifestos. If a certain age group like 65+ votes in high figures politicians will come up with policies that favor them as a free bus pass. So, by turning out to vote as young people we can influence future policies and we will benefit.

Usually, more people don’t vote than the people who vote for the winner.

Turnout for Senedd/Assembly elections has been historically low (it has never exceeded 50% nationally – it was 45% in 2016). As a result, the number of non-voters exceeds the number of votes the winning candidate receives or even the candidates’ combined votes.

In my area (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire) 10,355 voted for the successful candidate but 27,867 did not vote. Every vote counts.

People have fought for your vote.

Campaigners within organizations such as the women’s suffrage fought for your vote and even got killed. Campaigners also fought for the 16- and 17-year-old vote. As a matter of respect and a way to commemorate the campaigners, vote!

Voting is important even if you think your candidate can’t win.

It is still important to vote, because if everyone doesn’t vote because they believe that a candidate cannot win then there is no way to make a change.

There are good things that can happen for voting for someone who is not going to win, the most impressive is that the winning candidate can be influenced by a losing candidate. For example, if Candidate A gets a large number of votes due to their stance on the Environment, then the winning Candidate B may try to do more on this issue to persuade you to vote for them next time.

Remember to thoroughly research before casting a vote. And remember that you must register before voting. If you are not already registered use this website, it is very quick and easy to do: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You must register by the 19 April 2021 or you will lose your voice.

Cai Phillips

I realised whilst getting my uniform that there were no eco-friendly versions of ties. Even though the majority of our clothing is polyester (a type of plastic) and one of the main plastic polluters.

I started on a project back in September 2019 to make all ties for my school to be made from recycled plastic. I found a company that made ties from two 2 litre plastic bottles which have been saved from landfill and made into thread.

In December 2020 after the Make your Mark ballot and the issue of Plastic Pollution. It was fitting that we can announce this.

This has been a long time coming with many emails passed between various companies. Eco-friendly ties will be available to buy from Evans & Wilkins for £4.65! Though the normal school tie is £4.50 it’s a huge step in the right direction!

Arwen Skinner

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) provides opportunities for young people aged 11 to 18 to use their voice in creative ways to bring about social change. Decision-makers across the UK use UKYP as a mechanism to seek the views of young people. Last year I was elected to be the UK youth parliament member for Carmarthenshire. My job is to represent these views to decision-makers on a local, regional, and national level.

So far, I have emailed all local representatives introducing myself and my roles to local MPs and MSs. Consequently, I have ‘met ’online with Angela Burns MS for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli, Lee Walters MS for Llanelli.

This year the UKYP held the first-ever online annual conference, this is where all 369 members of the youth parliament come together to present their motions. This year many brilliant motions were covering a large range of topics. I had a difficult job of submitting a motion on a big issue in Carmarthenshire.

There was a large range of topics to think about. After discussing with other MYPs (members of youth parliament), I decided to submit LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools. This is a topic that was highlighted in my school as being one of the most overlooked subject areas. The motion asks for more support for pupils and education on LGBTQ+ in the curriculum.

 The top 10 motions for the whole of the UK and top 10 local issues will be put on the annual Make Your Mark ballot. In Wales, we received 4,643 votes online despite being in lockdown. The issues voted are:

• Free University – We should invest in the young people of today by providing free university. The alternative is that young people will suffer financial hardship and not reach their full potential (Devolved topic).
•  Support Our Mental Health – More money should be given to young people’s mental health. We should be offered mental health support in schools and ensure that teachers know about mental health (Devolved topic).
•     Take Action on the Climate Emergency: Stop Plastic Pollution – If we do not take action now, it is predicted that waste plastics will outweigh fish in our oceans by 2050. Let’s reduce single-use and non-essential plastics (UK wide topic).

This time last year I’d have never imagined we’d be where we are now and doing it all from the comfort of my own home! I hope to continue working through the ‘new normal’. I’m looking forward to working on more issues and hope to meet many more inspiring young people behind them.

Arwen Skinner