Adam Price called on the Senedd to support his calls for a “civic duty to vote bill”
Voting in Wales should be compulsory, a former leader of Plaid Cymru has said.
Adam Price said the move could boost turnout for Senedd elections, which has yet to top the 47% it hit at the last election in 2021.
But critics of the idea have argued people have a right not to cast a ballot, but the Welsh government said the idea was “worth exploring”.
Last week, Mr Price called on the Senedd to support his calls for a “civic duty to vote” bill.
Mr Price said he believed voters should still be able to abstain, possibly by marking a “none of the above” box.
The policy could be enforced with fines, he added, saying there should be legitimate exemptions.
He told the BBC’s Politics Wales programme that compulsory voting would mean Welsh voters would be “truly represented in the election system”.
“Then politics does become about a competition of a different kind,” he said.
“Not the mechanics of getting your vote out on the day but actually how inspiring, how compelling is the message and the vision that you’re putting before the electorate.”
Voter Grace Kearney called the idea “ridiculous”
Welsh Conservatives Member of the Senedd (MS) Darren Millar disagreed, saying: “We know from other places around the world that whilst compulsory voting may actually increase the turnout, it doesn’t necessarily result in better-informed electors.”
Mr Price’s proposals were backed in the Senedd after he secured support from several Labour backbenchers and Welsh Conservative MSs.
Cabinet members abstained, but Counsel General Mick Antoniw, speaking for the government, argued the idea was “well worth exploring”.
He backed researching the matter and perhaps a pilot scheme.
“I do hope this is just the beginning of an important debate on a potential reform,” he said.
Danielle Llewellyn said she would welcome compulsory voting
The constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney had the lowest 2021 turnout at 34.8%.
At a toddler session at St David’s Community Centre in Rhymney, views were mixed.
Grace Kearney said: “That’s ridiculous. Everyone’s got their own free right to do what they want and they shouldn’t have that freedom taken away from them.”
But Danielle Llewellyn said she thought it was a good idea: “It’s nice to know you can make a difference.”
How does it work elsewhere?
Australia is one of about 20 countries where mandatory voting exists and voters face a $20 fine (£11.84) if they do not take part.
Turnout at last year’s Australian federal election was 89.8%. but that was the first time, since compulsory voting was introduced in 1924, for turnout to fall below 90%.
In 1893, Belgium became the first country in the world to introduce compulsory voting.
According to Brussels-based political commentator Mared Gwyn, Belgians take pride in their country’s high turnout.
“Belgians are quite proud of this tradition,” she said.
- Politics Wales, BBC One Wales, 10:00 BST on 2 July and on iPlayer
