Welsh politics should embrace digital revolution to get young people voting in 2011 – Presiding Officer told

Digital engagement will be key to getting youngsters voting in the referendum and Assembly elections in 2011, according to young people who met with the Presiding Officer at this year’s Assembly summer events.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas took part in discussions with groups of young people at the Royal Welsh Show, Eisteddfod and Urdd to hear their views on barriers to voting and how best to connect with them.

The Obama campaign was referred to as an example of how to mobilise youngsters by making complex issues relevant, timely and accessible.

The campaign was defined by its integration of the internet into all of its activities, leveraging vast audiences through social networking sites and using video sharing platforms like YouTube to seed videos and reach a wider audience.

These discussions come at a time when the Assembly is already actively embracing digital media, using YouTube for explainer videos and clips with AMs, Flickr for pictures, and Twitter and Facebook to host press releases and publicise events.

And, as part of its drive to engage younger audiences, the Assembly has also started producing explainer videos aimed at school children for inclusion on its newly launched education website. The latest of these – ‘Why vote’ – features Assembly Members explaining the importance of voting and how it can affect young people’s lives.

Presiding Officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said: “As we approach the Fourth Assembly and begin participating in the debate about a change in the devolution settlement, the need to seize every opportunity to converse with the people of Wales is more important than ever. People now expect to be able to immediately contact public and private bodies and they expect those bodies to listen and respond in a timely fashion.

“The Assembly has made real headway with its efforts to embrace the digital era. Some 2000 people follow us on Twitter, we have over 600 fans on Facebook, and many more people view our photographs on Flickr and watch our videos on YouTube. The Assembly also produces quality video content, has a new education website aimed at young people and an e-petitions system to enable people to make their views heard.

“However, although in many ways the Assembly is ahead of its peers in its use of technology, we must fully recognise the importance of these mediums if we are to continue to progress effectively and become a modern, all-encompassing organisation.”

Peter Black AM, Commissioner for the Assembly and the Citizen – with responsibility for the Assembly’s e-democracy strategy said: “Technology has changed communication. It has changed the way that people communicate with each other and is changing the way people communicate with organisations.

“Of course, using social media - whatever it may be - is no guarantee of effective engagement. ‘I blog therefore I am engaging with young people’ is a common misconception – not only among AMs, but MPs and businesses seeking to engage with people under 30.

“But politicians and political institutions should not ignore these platforms that can enable people to tell us how they want to change their lives for the better.”