With a very poor turn-out of 46 per cent, lower than the referendum election in 1997 and nearly 20 per cent below the target figure set by the British government, the Welsh electorate did not really engage with their politicians or the campaign to elect the Assembly, Rachel Donnelly writes.
Confusion over which ballot paper to use in the first election in Britain combining an element of PR with first-past-the-post, may have encouraged some to stay at home. Another problem was the resentment felt by some Labour voters over Mr Alun Michael's adoption as party leader in Wales.
In key seats where there was obvious tactical voting, such as Carmarthen East and Dinefwr which was crucial to Mr Michael's chances, voter turn-out was much higher - at 61 per cent in that particular case. By contrast the turnout in Wrexham was a mere 34 per cent.