Automatic voter registration for Senedd and council elections could be trialled in Wales, the Welsh Government has announced.

The proposals, if introduced, would mean voters wouldn’t need to register to vote.

Mick Antoniw MS, the Welsh Government’s Counsel General, said the proposals are designed to remove barriers to voting.

It would mean anyone who is eligible to vote would be automatically added to the electoral register by their local authority.

The Welsh Government is proposing to work with a number of local authorities to test the plans.

Mr Antoniw said: “This is another step in improving the accessibility of Welsh elections.

“We want it to be as easy as possible to vote, with people able to play their full part in our democracy. We also want to create political structures that are more representative of the people they serve.”

He continued: “I’m proud to to say that since we assumed responsibility for local and Senedd elections in 2017 we have lowered the voting age to 16 and enfranchised qualifying foreign nationals.

“As part of building a 21st century electoral system, the time is now right to accelerate our ambitious long-term vision for electoral reform in anticipation of the next major devolved and local elections in 2026 and 2027.”

Mr Antoniw added: “We have outlined a wide range of proposals about the best way forward, and encourage people from every part of society to have their say and help us deliver our vision.”

A consultation into the proposals has been opened by the Welsh Government as it looks for ways to ‘modernise’ electoral administration and wider electoral reform.

However, automatic registration would not apply to UK General Elections or Police and Crime Commissioner Elections, which are run by the UK Government.

Views are also being sought into how to improve student and young people’s registration rates, as this group typically has a lower registration and turnout rate.

A white paper into the proposals has been published by the Welsh Government.