EA Bulletin: 394 Wales

In advance of the May 2026 polls, we wanted to update you on our plans to provide supporting guidance and resources for ROs and those who want to stand for election

Guidance for candidates and agents

We have now published our guidance for candidates and agents for the Senedd elections in May 2026.

The guidance has been published in our web-based HTML format, and has been updated to reflect the new legislative provisions set out in the Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025.  We have worked closely with colleagues in the Welsh Government, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Elections Management Board in the development of this guidance. 

To support candidate and agents to navigate the new style guidance we have also created a guide that should answer any initial queries they may have.

We have also published the updated nomination packs and election timetable for candidates to use.

As part of our plans to expand the provision of our guidance, we are also developing a set of animated guides to support the completion of nomination papers.  These resources can be used to complement your briefings and local guidance. We will be launching these later in the year, and will notify you through the Bulletin when they are available.

Guidance for Returning Officers

We are currently finalising updates to our guidance for Returning Officers for the May polls and will publish this in November.  Supporting resources will be published on a rolling  basis and we will notify you through the Bulletin when any further updates to the guidance and additional resources are published.

We will be following our usual process for ordering polling station handbooks, and a link to the order form will be circulated in December, with orders finalised in January, for delivery in March 2026.

If you have any queries or need any further support, please contact the Wales team on [email protected].  

In partnership with Age Cymru, we have developed guidance to help care staff support the people they care for to vote. You can download our guidance for supporting people who are in care homes on our website. 

On 8 September we launched a consultation on our new Code of Practice for Accredited Electoral Observers.  

The current Code of Practice, introduced in January 2019, is being updated to ensure it remains fit for purpose, and supports the effective accreditation of observers in the future.  

The Accredited Electoral Observer Scheme is an essential element of our democracy. The ability to independently scrutinise legitimate democratic procedures and to provide accessibility for all voters must be supported and protected. It is equally important that the activities of observers do not bring into question the integrity of the electoral process.  
 
The new code will provide observers with agreed standards on what is acceptable throughout their entire accreditation and not only on polling day.  

Through this consultation, we aim to gather the perspectives of stakeholders on the requirements of the scheme. Feedback will help us improve the draft before the final version is laid in the Scottish and Westminster Parliaments and the  Senedd, as required by law.  

Once laid in the three Parliaments, the updated Code will replace the existing version, and accredited observers will be expected to adhere to it throughout the duration of their accreditation.  

The Code will be supported by Commission guidance which will be regularly reviewed and updated as the scheme evolves. Accredited observers will also be expected to follow this supporting guidance. 

How to respond 

The consultation will run until 2 November 2025. You can respond by filling in our survey. 

You can also email your views to  [email protected], or write to us at: Electoral Observers Officer, The Electoral Commission, The Boat, 49 Queen's Square, Belfast, BT1 3FG.  

Once we have considered the responses to this consultation, we expect to lay the revised Code in December. 

EROs will have recently received our annual canvass survey, by email, from the Wales team.  

As in previous years, we have been looking for your feedback to inform how we might better engage and support EROs and their teams. Your responses also help us build a picture of your administration framework, how the canvass is progressing, the challenges being faced, as well as highlighting new developments or practices.

As always, we appreciate your responses to our survey. The survey closes for responses on Thursday 25th September. If you have not received an email with a link to the survey or have any questions regarding the surveys, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].