Young people in Powys are urging others to 'unmute themselves' and have their say in the forthcoming Senedd and Police and Crime Commissioner elections by signing up to the elctoral register.

Anyone who wants to ‘unmute themselves’ and have their say – as advocated in a video produced by Mid Powys Youth Theatre (MPYT) for Powys County Council (PCC) – needs to take action before the deadline to register on Monday, April 19.

The council wants anyone who is not already on the electoral register to sign up, so that they can have a say in how their country and police force is run in the Thursday May 6 Senedd and Police and Crime Commissioner elections; and is especially keen for this message to reach 16 and 17-year-olds and foreign nationals who are legally resident in the UK, as they are now entitled to vote in the Senedd election.

As part of a campaign to promote the right of 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, PCC commissioned MPYT to produce this video, #UnmuteYourself, which has been widely distributed on social media: #UnmuteYourself - Register by 19 April 2021 - YouTube

PCC’s health and social care change manager - start well, Joanna Harris said: “We wanted to increase the number of 16 and 17-year-olds who were aware that they can register to vote in the forthcoming Senedd elections. And we wanted to capture the views and opinions directly of young people to encourage their peers to vote.

“We were hoping for a catchy video that other young people would be interested in viewing to learn more about their vote.

“We wanted to amplify the voices of our young people in Powys to encourage them to use their voice and ‘unmute’ themselves.”