Completed petition Make the Senedd election fair - allow political leafleting during lockdown
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.
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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.
This petition was considered by the Petitions Committee
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