Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

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Providing information on accessing the electoral register

Individual candidates are entitled to a free copy of the full register for the constituency they are standing in on written request once they officially become a candidate. The earliest date someone can officially become a candidate is the date of dissolution of the Senedd. A person officially becomes a candidate on this day if on or before this date they or others have already declared them as a candidate.1

In the case of a party which submits a list of candidates, the election agent for the party list is entitled to a copy of the full register.

While the legal responsibility for supplying registers rests with the ERO for each local authority area, in the case of a constituency that covers more than one local authority you should have in plans in place for managing or coordinating requests and supplying copies of the registers to candidates to ensure that all candidates can be supplied with registers in such a way that they have timely and easy access to them.

For example, you may consider supplying the registers centrally on behalf of all the EROs in the constituency and include a request form in the nomination pack that covers all local authority areas that are part of the constituency. The benefit of this approach is that one request form covering all local authority areas is required and registers can be obtained from a single point, instead of having to approach each ERO separately with individual requests.

If you are considering supplying the registers centrally, you will have to discuss and agree with any EROs how the various registers and subsequent updates to them could be brought together for timely supply, including how this would work for both printed and data copies. The registers must be supplied in data form unless a printed copy has been specifically requested.2

We have produced template electoral register and absent voter list request forms that can be provided to individual candidates and election agents.

You can find the register request form and absent voters list request form in the planning section of our resource page.

For more information on the access and supply of the full electoral register and absent voters lists to candidates, political parties (who can request a copy at any time) and others see our guidance for EROs on access and supply of the electoral register.

Last updated: 18 November 2025