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VOTING GUIDE
The Senedd L
aw making in Wales has been a proud part of our tradition dating back to the early 19th century with the forming of the ‘Cymru Fydd’ (young Wales) political movement. This helped promote the objectives of the liberal party for Wales. This led to the ‘Welsh Act’ being passed in 1881 which started the administrative devolution of Welsh powers for home rule. 1950 saw the rise of Megan Lloyd-George, the leader of the cross-party campaign with more than 250,000 signatures calling for the establishment of the Welsh parliament. With this push as well as other events continuing the fight for devolution of power the first Welsh parliament was established and met in 1999. This new parliament, opened by The Queen, had 60 members (24 of which were women). This showed there was a significant shift in the mainly male dominated political scene at the time. Since the first parliament met the Senedd has undergone massive changes. One of which has allowed more powers to reside within the Welsh government so they can change the way the people of Wales live in a more significant manner. With the recent surge of Welsh independence due to the “yes Cymru” political movement means your vote is as important as ever (whether you’re for or against independence) to shape the future of Wales. With all the history out of the way. You might be thinking “so what am I actually voting for?”. Well stick with me as I take you through all you need to know when it comes to this year’s Senedd elections. To finish off I’ll be running through the candidates that are (theoretically) heading into the square-circle to fight for their chance to represent the views of their constituency in the first ‘Senedd Smack-down’ of the decade. So what possibilities does the Senedd actually have and what law can they actually pass, change and influence? Well, with the budget sent from Westminster they have the power to change many aspects of Welsh law including but not limited to · Financial and economic matters · Home affairs · Trade and industry · Energy
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Transport Social security Pensions Employment Medicine Culture Justice Equal opportunities
There are 60 members that are elected into the Senedd which are up every 4 years. However, there are different roles and types of votes that you need to know about for the election on May 6th. 40 out of the 60 members represent the constituencies of Wales. These are the same as the Welsh constituencies that are in Westminster and there’s 1 seat per constituency. The 40 constituencies use the ‘first-past-the-post system.’ This means the
candidate with the most votes is elected into the position (Simple isn’t it?). Postal Registration: Postal registration is just as easy. Print out the form from the government website. Well, the other 20 members are the ‘regional members.’ Follow all the questions and instructions on the form. There are 4 seats per region with 5 regions. These Then send it off to the address on the form. members are elected via the ‘additional member system.’ This one is a bit more complicated so stay Either way when you register, you only need to do it with me now. Each party’s total votes are divided by once per address. So you’ll be set to go for the next ‘1+ (the number of members in the Senedd).” election as well. For example, if Plaid wins 5 seats in the constituency votes, their regional votes’ total will be “number of regional votes/ (1+5).” The party with the highest total number of votes then wins one of the seats. The process then repeats until all the seats are taken. With this system, we will see a range of parties getting seats across Wales, as the high earning constituency parties lose votes regionally due to this. Recent statistics show that students in higher education make up between 5-6% of the Welsh population. With these numbers, an election can have a completely different outcome for the area that the universities are located in. Well, now that I’ve got you interested you must want to know “am I registered to vote? How do I register to vote? When do I have to register to vote by? “ You’d be right to ask all of those questions, as the clock is ticking and you have until 19thApril to register. irstly, we’ll be looking at who’s been put There are two ways to register to vote. The first way forward in each party for the regional is online and the second way is via post. To be brief, competitions that are in the surrounding all the information you need and the documents can be found on the Senedd Wales website. Have no fear area to the university. Then i’ll be giving you though, I’ve got you covered with an easy to follow the low down on who’s running for each party guide on how to register.
SENEDD SMACKDOWN
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To register you’ll need to be 14 or over (sorry to the random 13-year-old that has somehow managed to find this and decided to read it. Better luck next time). It is advised that you will need your national insurance number (but also says you don’t need it (I know you just rolled your eyes)). Online Registration: The registration will take about 5 minutes. Now for you lucky lot that decided to move away from home for uni, there is a question to allow you to register for your family home and your university accommodation. “Do you also live at a second address?” There is an answer specific for students to enter their university accommodation address. Once you’ve finished all the questions you’ll be ready to vote.
in the constituency competitions that are taking place around the university. This will hopefully help you make a decision on who to vote for in both the constituency and the regionals (and don’t worry I’ll stay impartial for this section and give you the straight facts)
Regionals – ROUND 1 MID + WEST WALES 2021 Candidates
UKIP LABOUR PLAID CYMRU LABOUR
2016 Results
Plaid Cymru Cefn Campbell Helen Mary-Jones Elwyn Vaughan Cris Thomas
Conservative Dr Thomas Dafydd-Davies Amanda James Lizzie Lesnianski Cllr Aled Davies
Liberal Democrats James Dodds Bill Powell Alistair Cameron Steven Churchman
Green Party Emily Durvant Tomos Barlow Harry Hayfield Marc Peartpn-Soale
Labour Eluned Morgan Joyce Watson Helen Taylor Ben Gwalchmai
UKIP LT-Gen. Jonathon Riley Howard Lillyman Pavel Dawson Ken Rees
Regionals – ROUND 2 South Wales West 2021 Candidates
PLAID CYMRU PLAID CYMRU CONSERVATIVE UKIP
2016 Results
Green Party Megan Poppy-Lloyd Chris Ewans Alex Harries Tom Muller
Propel Party Tim Thomas
Liberal Democrats Chloe Hutchinson Sam Bennett Harvey Jones
Plaid Cymru Sioned Williams Luke Fletcher John Davies Jamie Evans
Labour Sian Thomas Kevin Passcoe Nicola Farr Mahaboob Basha
UKIP Tim Jenkins Dan Morgan Star Robinson Gillian Mason
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 1 LLANELLI 2021 Candidates
2016 Results: LABOUR – 36.5%
Jon Burree – Liberal Democrats Former member of Llanelli town council Spent many years as carer for his family Vice chair for Welsh Liberal Democrats Key Manifesto Points Delivering a green recovery from economic fallout of COVID-19 and Brexit Reducing the impact of climate change and pollution Prioritising clean renewable energy, environmentally friendly business practices and electrical vehicles for both commercial and domestic.
Helen Mary Jones – Plaid Cymru Born and raised in Colchester, England Early interest in politics Was previously elected to represent Llanelli in 1999 Key Manifesto Points Build back the economy well, not just better. Ensure young people’s life chances aren’t affected by the downturn. Tackle climate emergency
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 1 LLANELLI Lee Waters – Labour Grew up in Amman Valley, Wales Current AM for Llanelli Former chief political correspondent for ITV Wales Key Manifesto Points Unite Wales to repair damage sought by pandemic Tackle climate emergency Supporting better quality jobs closer to home
Stefan Ryszewski – Conservative From Felinfoel and lives in Llanelli Is a single parent Member of conservative 5 years Key Manifesto Points Wants everyone to get over COVID by having a vaccine Build back better with people in West Wales at the forefront of the rebuild. Small school are important for the community
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 2 SWANSEA WEST 2021 Candidates
2016 Results: LABOUR – 40.6%
Chloe Hutchinson – Liberal Democrats 24 year old Swansea Uni graduate Previously worked in the students union Volunteer with Swansea’s women’s aid Key Manifesto Points Improve access and choice of therapies Take action in climate emergency Deliver right to life long learning
Dai Lloyd – Plaid Cymru Born in Tywyn and raised in Lampeter Worked as GP in Ravenhill, Mayhill and Gowerton. Elected councillor in Cockett ward of Swansea. Key Manifesto Points Need for Senedd to legislate and provide road map to independence. Invest in regional metro system Push for Swansea to become a centre of excellence in renewable energy and medical research. Committed to making Swansea a true regional capital for South Wales
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 2 SWANSEA WEST Julie James – Labour Born in Swansea First person in family to go to university Spent early part of career as a lawyer in London Key Manifesto Points Meaningfully tackle climate change by building green housing. Work closely with the local council in delivering rejuvenation projects Continue to ensure a strong voice for Swansea in the Senedd
Samantha Chohan – Conservative Grew up in South Wales Carer for her mother since she was 11 years old Worked in health care and has a degree in health and social care management Key Manifesto Points Restore, recover, rebuild after COVID pandemic Promoting growth by cutting taxes to make Wales the best place to start a business in Britain. Cutting health care waiting times
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 3 SWANSEA EAST 2021 Candidates
2016 Results: LABOUR – 52.1%
Sam Bennett – Liberal Democrat Worked for Swansea University marketing for medical school Lives locally in Swansea Previously studied European politics in Aberystwyth Key Manifesto Points Razor sharp focus in support for local businesses. Champion for housing in Swansea Support for development of affordable housing in Swansea
Rhiannon Borras – Plaid Cymru Grew up in Nelson, Taf Bargoed Valley Retired from long career in education. Member of local council Key Manifesto Points Fair distribution of health and wellbeing Create wealth to pay for public services and tackle the climate crisis Prepare the way for an independence referendum
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 3 SWANSEA EAST Mike Hedges – Labour Born and raised in Swansea Studied at Swansea and Cardiff universities Former councillor and leader of Swansea council Key Manifesto Points Main priority must be securing high quality jobs by working with universities. Protect and improve environment Continue to hold surgeries, visit school, organisations and charities
Cameron Brennan Conservatives Worked in the NHS as a Radiographer and Physician Associate Moved to Swansea in 2016 to train as a Physician Associate at Swansea Medical School Key Manifesto Points Rectify the failings of decades of Welsh Labour rule Support Welsh bussinesses Support Wales as part of the United Kingdom
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 4 NEATH 2021 Candidates
2016 Results: LABOUR – 37.3%
James Henton - Propel Attended Llangatwg Community School before going on to Neath College Studied International Politics & Intelligence at Aberystwyth University Key Manifesto Points Business rates and council tax slashed significantly Encourage growth of industry and small businesses Extraction of Welsh gas from our old mines, which could then supply Welsh demands
Sioned Williams – Plaid Cymru Brought up in Gwent Valley Former BBC journalist Currently working as communication and development manager as Swansea university Key Manifesto Points Priority to address the ‘shameful’ levels of poverty and neglect in the Neath area Tackling the transportation infrastructure Foster a renewed self confidence for the community
CONSTITUENCY – ROUND 4 NEATH Jeremy Miles – Labour Welsh speaker from Pontarddulais Studied law at Oxford Involved with social justice charity ‘Bevan Foundation’ Key Manifesto Points Working on priorities for how Welsh Government dal with longterm impact of Covid Fight for local apprenticeships for young people Expansion of all age mental health support locally
Matthew Williams – Conservatives Born in Swansea and lived in Neath for past 22 years Has been working for the Welsh Ambulance Service as a paramedic for past 21 years Never been interested in politics before but wants to make a difference to the NHS Key Manifesto Points Wants to see improvement to NHS waiting times, especially for ambulances waiting outside A+E Wants to see strong economy in Wales with more green investment. Scrapping small business fees to fill some of the empty shops in the town and provide jobs.
Disclaimer: The Waterfront does not endorse any singular candidate. This was made with the intention to educate not to persuade.
Written by Kieran Bason Edited by Bethan Bates
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