County electors lead the way (From Western Telegraph)

County electors lead the way

THE clock is ticking towards the next General Election, with polling stations expected to open in May.

As candidates canvass for votes, latest turn-out figures indicate people are slowly coming back to the polls, particularly in Pembrokeshire.

Statistics, in the Electoral Commission's Local Elections in Wales 2004 report, show a 50.6% turnout in the county's election last year, one of only two authorities in Wales where turnout rose above half the eligible electorate.

"The worry has been that people have not been connecting with local government," said Labour MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Nick Ainger. "But certainly last time round there was a decent turnout."

The average turnout in Wales at 42%, exceeded England by 4%. That indicates an upward trend compared to the 1999 European Parliament elections, which attracted a mere three out of ten people.

In General Election terms, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire, Stephen Crabb, said Pembrokeshire has always led the way.

"Election turn-out has been falling steadily," he said. "But Pembrokeshire does slightly better than the national average. We were a good 10% above the average, but that is still a third of people who are not voting."

The Tory candidate said demographically the biggest drop off was 18 to 30-year-olds. "It's a group of the population that feel slightly disenfranchised and cut-off from the political process," he said.

Both party representatives believe more needs to be done to re-engage people in the political process and show the importance of taking part.

Nick Ainger said: "It is very disappointing when you see the turn out in Europe and then look at what people in Iraq faced in going to the polls in January.

"They literally faced death in some cases, but were still prepared to turn out and vote. I hope that registers with people on how important it is to take part in the democratic process."