P-05-1141 Make the Senedd election fair - allow political leafleting during lockdown
P-05-1141 Make the Senedd election fair - allow political leafleting during lockdown
P-05-1141 Make the Senedd election fair - allow
political leafleting during lockdown
This
petition was submitted by Cadan ap Tomos, having collected a total of 93
signatures.
Text of Petition:
We call on the Welsh
Government to make sure the next Senedd election is free and fair, by letting
political campaigners hand-deliver leaflets safely during lockdown.
Every voter must have a
fair chance to hear from their candidates and come to an informed decision
about how to vote. Delivering leaflets is the most accessible way for
candidates to let people know where they stand. Banning political leafleting
would hand an unfair advantage to the biggest parties with more money and
influence.
Additional Information:
Chloe Smith, the UK
Government Constitution Minister, has announced that political leafleting by
volunteers is not allowed under England's lockdown rules. This is despite no restrictions
being placed on the Royal Mail, other delivery companies, and commercial
leafleting by businesses.
The Census is also due to
go ahead in March, despite this requiring thousands of workers to deliver
leaflets and knock on doors across the country, reminding people to complete
and return their Census form.
We are already in a period
where political party spending is regulated by law ahead of the scheduled
Senedd elections. This regulation is in place in the expectation that parties
would now be campaigning.
During a pandemic, safety
is paramount. But if the election is to go ahead in May, the Welsh Government
must not stop political activists from campaigning, provided they take safety
precautions as they do so. Banning political leafleting would throw the
fairness of any election into question.
Status
This petition was
considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 16/03/2021.
The Committee
considered the petition for the first time and noted the announcement made by the
Welsh Government on 12 March that leafletting will be able to resume on a local
basis, following the change in advice to ‘stay local’. In light of this, and
because this is the Committee’s final meeting before the election, it agreed to
close the petition and thank the petitioner.
Full details of the
consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be
seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 16/03/2021.
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and West Wales
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Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 04/03/2021