A bill is being introduced that would give the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds in many elections in Wales and empower local authorities to decide which voting system they use.

The Labour-led Welsh government said the planned changes would be the biggest in the Welsh electoral system since the voting age was reduced to 18 in the UK half a century ago. They come as a bill to reduce the voting age to 16 for Welsh assembly elections nears the end of its journey through the Senedd.

Julie James, the minister for housing and local government, said: “We believe in strong local government. We want it to thrive, we want the people of Wales to feel well represented and supported by modern public services, and we want the relationship between local government and the Welsh government to be mature and focused on our shared agenda – delivering better public services for everyone, helping people who need support, when and where they need it most.

“This bill is introduced at a time when austerity continues, and relationships and technology are changing the way public services interact with each other, and with the communities they serve.

“Twenty years on from devolution, this is a significant local government bill which reflects the journey of devolution and will deliver a major package of reforms, including local government electoral reform.

“It aims to provide local government with new ways to support and serve their communities in these challenging times, while reinvigorating local democracy here in Wales.”

Proposals in the local government and elections (Wales) bill include:

Allowing each of the 22 councils in Wales to decide which voting system to use – first past the post or single transferable vote, which is considered to be a system of proportional representation.

Making it easier for people to be included on the electoral register, by giving electoral registration officers the power to automatically add people to the register, without the need for them to apply.

Enabling the piloting of reforms to local government elections after 2022, such as holding elections on different days and having polling stations in a variety of places.

Giving all foreign citizens lawfully living in Wales the opportunity to vote in and stand in local elections, irrespective of nationality.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Local Government Association said: “We welcome the introduction of votes to 16- and 17-year-olds at local elections. A thriving local government depends on residents from all backgrounds feeling engaged with their local councils, and getting more young people to have their say on who represents their community is vitally important to achieve that.”

Jess Blair, director of the Electoral Reform Society Cymru, said the legislation had the potential to revolutionise local democracy in Wales. She called for the STV system to be adopted across Wales in local elections and said with relatively low turnouts at local elections in Wales, it was right that thought should be given to introducing pilot schemes looking at different ways of holding contests.

The changes would not give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in general elections.

Blair said: “This bill is a genuinely exciting moment in Welsh democracy. Eyes in Westminster should be on these reforms and we would urge the next UK government to make it a priority to catch up with these positive changes.”