Senedd Election 2026 Media Guide

From the election on 7 May 2026 there will be significant changes to the Senedd and Senedd Elections.  

• Members – The Senedd will have 96 members instead of 60
• Constituencies – Wales will have 16 constituencies, each of which will elect six candidates
• The voting system – Senedd Elections will use a ‘Closed Proportional List System’. This means that the number of candidates elected from each party will be decided on the percentage of votes the party receives.  
• The ballot paper – Everyone who is eligible to vote will have one vote and one ballot paper, choosing either a political party or independent candidate.
• Timing of elections – Elections will be held every 4 years instead of 5 

From 7 May 2026, the Senedd will have 96 Members instead of 60 it has now. Wales will have 16 constituencies and each constituency will elect six Members of the Senedd.  

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru created the new areas by pairing the 32 UK Parliament constituencies for Wales. They also considered local boundaries, road and transport links, and natural features like rivers and mountains.

Voters can find their new constituency by entering their postcode into the Senedd’s constituency finder map. 

Guide to the Senedd election

The Electoral Commission will publish an information booklet outlining key information on the Senedd Election. In late March, a physical copy of this booklet will be sent to each household in Wales, and an online version will be published on the Electoral Commission website. The booklet will be available to voters in English and Welsh, and voters will also be able to request it in accessible formats.  

Animated video

The Electoral Commission has developed an animated video summarising the key information voters need to know to cast their vote at the Senedd Election. 

Voter registration campaign

The Electoral Commission is running a paid advertising campaign to ensure voters are aware of the voter registration deadline on 20 April. Promotional resources that support this campaign can be found on our website.

Education resources

The Electoral Commission, Senedd and Children’s Commissioner for Wales have published education resources to support young people to participate in the election. The resources are hosted on Democracy Classroom.

Partnerships

The Electoral Commission is working with a number of different partner organisations to ensure that voters from under-registered groups can access accurate information about the Senedd Election. Resources tailored to specific groups can be found on our website.

Websites for key organisations  

The official websites for The Electoral Commission, Senedd Cymru, Democracy and Boundary Commission and each Local Council will also share key information about the Senedd Election. 

To vote in the Senedd election, you must be registered to vote in Wales and:  

• aged 16 or over on polling day
• a British or Irish citizen; or
• a qualifying Commonwealth, EU or qualifying foreign citizen living in Wales

Anyone wanting to vote on 7 May must be registered to vote by 11:59pm on Monday 20 April. People can register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.  

People can still register by completing a paper registration form if they prefer. They can contact their local electoral registration office for forms or download them on the UK Government’s website (Opens in new window).

Local authority electoral registration office contact details can be found using the postcode look-up tool on the Electoral Commission’s website.

In some cases, voters may be eligible to register at two different addresses. For example, if they own two homes or if they are a student living away from home. It is for the local electoral registration officer to determine whether someone is eligible to register.

If an individual is registered to vote in two different local authority areas, then at May’s local elections they are legally entitled to vote in both of those areas.  

However you can only vote in one place during a Senedd election, as it is an offence to vote twice in a general election. 

Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners, serving in the UK or overseas, can register either at their home address or their barracks in the usual way, or as a ‘service voter’. Service voters fill out an armed services declaration so they can be registered when away from their home address on duty.

Remand prisoners (those who have not been convicted and sentenced) can vote. Convicted prisoners detained because of their sentence cannot vote at a Senedd election.

In some limited circumstances, prisoners released on temporary licence may meet the criteria to register to vote. 

The way voting system for the Senedd election has changed to a 'closed proportional list system'. This is a form of proportional representation. This means the number of seats each party or independent candidate wins reflects the percentage of votes they receive.  

More information on the voting system is available on the Electoral Commission website. 

The system used to allocate seats in the Senedd is the same system that was used to allocate regional seats at previous Senedd and Welsh Assembly elections.  

The more votes a political party or independent candidate gets, the more seats they will win. The people at the top of each political party’s list are elected first. How many of their candidates are elected will depend on how many votes the party wins.  

For example, if a political party wins three seats, the top three people on their list will be elected to those seats. 96 Members of the Senedd will be elected in total.  

The Senedd has published a detailed description of how votes are allocated using the D’Hont method. 

Voters will receive one ballot paper and will have one vote to choose a representative.  

Voters should mark their ballot paper with a cross (X) in the box next to your choice of political party or independent candidate. the political party or independent candidate they wish to represent their constituency in the Senedd. The ballot paper will still show the full list of candidates in the political party’s list.  

If a party wins enough votes, they will win one or more seats in the Senedd. If an independent candidate wins enough votes, they will win a seat in the Senedd. 

The Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) has overall responsibility for the counting of the votes. To support electoral administrators with the count process, we have published guidance on the count.  

Votes at the 7 May 2026 Senedd election will be counted during the daytime on the day after the poll, following a direction by the Wales Electoral Management Board.

All counts must start between 9am and 11am on Friday 8 May and most constituencies will verify the number of ballots on 8 May. The direction gives flexibility to Returning Officers wishing to verify ballot papers immediately following the close of poll at 10pm on Thursday 7 May. 

The relevant local authority will be able to provide projected count times. 

We have published a draft script for CROs to use when announcing the results.  

There are four stages to the count process:  

1. The postal ballot boxes and ballot boxes from the polling stations arrive at the count venue.
2. Staff carry out a verification process and ensure that the number of postal ballot papers and ballot papers matches the numbers recorded by the relevant returning officer, and by the presiding officer at the polling station respectively.  
3. The votes are counted and the results are declared by the Returning Officer.  
4. The Returning Officer will announce the name of the candidate with the most votes as duly elected.  

Someone can challenge the result of an election by issuing an election petition. This is a legal action and will be adjudicated by a judge in court.  

A petition can be presented by:

• a person claiming to have been a candidate at the election, or
• four people who voted as electors at the election or had a right to vote at the election, except for electors registered anonymously  

A petition at a Senedd election must normally be presented within 21 calendar days after the day on which the election was held. Further time may be allowed in certain circumstances. 

Anyone who wants to stand as a party list or independent candidate at the Senedd election must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be registered as a local government elector in Wales  
• be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, a qualifying foreign citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of the European Union who is resident in the United Kingdom.  

A qualifying Commonwealth citizen is a Commonwealth citizen who either:

• does not need leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or
• has indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

A qualifying foreign citizen is a person who is not:  

• a Commonwealth citizen, or
• a citizen of the European Union, or
• a citizen of the Republic of Ireland and who has or does not require leave to remain or is treated as having leave to enter or remain in the UK.

The rules around standing for election and the disqualifications that apply are complex. Further information can be found in the Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents. 

The earliest date a person can officially become a candidate is the date of dissolution of the Senedd (8 April 2026). If a person has already declared themselves a candidate at the election, or the party has announced the candidate’s intention to stand, then they will officially become a candidate on this date.

If they declare that they will be a candidate at the elections after 8 April, they become a candidate on that day, or the date they formally submit their nominations papers – whichever is earliest. 

No, a person may stand as an independent candidate, i.e. not for any political party. On the ballot paper independent candidates will either be called ‘independent’ or nothing.  

Welsh Ministers have a duty to provide for a scheme of financial assistance to help disabled candidates in Welsh elections overcome barriers to their participation in those elections that are connected with their disability. As a result of this duty legislation has been introduced to establish a financial assistance scheme operated by Disability Wales to support disabled candidates overcome the barriers to their participation in elections in Wales. Information on the scheme can be found on their website www.disabilitywales.org. 

It is illegal to make a false statement about the personal character of a candidate to influence the result of the election. The police may investigate allegations of the specific electoral offence of making a false statement.

Rules about defamation also apply to election materials. Defamation issues are a matter for the civil courts.

The Electoral Commission does not have a regulatory role in relation to the content of campaign material or what candidates say about each other. However, we do encourage all campaigners to undertake their vital role responsibly and to support campaign transparency. 

We recognise that robust political debate is part of a healthy democracy, but sometimes things can go too far.

The Commission has worked with The National Police Chiefs Council and the Crown Prosecution Service to produce guidance documents for candidates and campaigners, to help them understand when behaviour goes beyond political debate and may be unlawful.  

• When it goes too far is a guide which provides general guidance for candidates in elections 

By law, candidates, parties and non-party campaigners must use ‘imprints’ on all their printed election material. An imprint includes the name and address of the printer and promoter (the person who authorised the material to be printed). It must be included on all printed material such as posters, placards and leaflets. This is so that electors can be clear about the source of the campaign material. It is an offence not to include an imprint on printed election material.

Imprints are required on all paid digital political adverts. Candidates, parties, registered campaigners and some other groups are also required to include an imprint on other digital campaign material, if it meets certain tests. A digital imprint must include the name and address of the promoter and any person on behalf of whom the material is published.  

For more information, please see our guidance on print and digital imprints. 

Once someone becomes a candidate, they are entitled to receive, free of charge, a copy of the full electoral register and the lists of people voting by post or proxy (the absent voters’ lists) for the constituency that they are contesting.

Candidates may only use the full electoral register to help them complete their nomination form, to campaign and to check that donations they receive come from a permissible source.  

Candidates must not release any details that appear in the electoral register (this is different from information on the open register, which is available for general sale). 

Yes, candidates are entitled to free postage on a maximum of two election communications sent to electors in the constituency. 

Hustings can be organised by anyone, and are events designed to give the public an opportunity to hear from the candidates or parties standing for election in their constituency.  

A non-selective hustings is a hustings that cannot reasonably be regarded as intended to influence voters to vote for or against particular political parties or candidates

There is no legal requirement for the person organising a husting to invite all candidates or parties standing in a constituency. However, spending on selective hustings may be regulated, whilst it is not for non-selective hustings.  

For more information, see our hustings guidance. 

News reports, features and editorials in print or online media are not subject to electoral law, and do not fall with the remit of the Electoral Commission. Ofcom is responsible for regulating TV and radio, and the Independent Press Standards Organisations regulates most UK newspapers and magazines.  

TV, radio and online debates between party leaders are a matter for the relevant broadcasters and newspapers. The Electoral Commission has no regulatory role in relation to debates between party leaders or party election broadcasts.   

The regulated period is the period in the run up to an election during which electoral spending rules apply to campaigning. Political parties and independent candidates must report all spending which takes place during this period.  

The regulated period for the Senedd election begins on 7 January 2026 and will end on polling day, 7 May 2026. 

The spending limit for individual candidates during the regulated period at a Senedd election is £52,500.  

The spending limit for political parties is based on how many candidates that party is standing in each constituency. There are six seats in each constituency, but a party can field up to eight candidates on their list per constituency.

Each constituency a party is contesting adds to their spending limit, based on the number of candidates they are standing in that constituency. For each constituency parties add between £52,500 and £70,000 to their national spending limit, as set out in the table below. If a party stands at least six candidates in every constituency their total spending limit will be £1,120,000. 

Spending by candidates to promote their candidacy before the regulated period for candidates starts is not regulated and does not have to be reported.

Any spending by a party promoting their candidates before the candidate’s regulated period starts will fall under the rules for party spending.  

Further guidance on party and candidate spending can be found on the Commission’s website.  

Party and candidate spending includes, among other things, the cost of:  

• Advertising of any kind, such as posters, newspaper adverts, websites, or videos
• Unsolicited material sent to voters, such as  letters, leaflets, or emails that aren’t in response to specific queries

Activities that do not count include, among other things:

• use of someone’s personal car or other means of transport acquired principally for that person’s personal use and provided free of charge
• costs that are reasonably attributable to the candidate’s disability

Further guidance which activities count towards the spending limit can be found in our guidance for candidates and political parties.

Political parties are responsible for managing and reporting party list candidate spending. An independent candidate’s agent (or the candidate if they act as their own agent) is responsible for managing and reporting there spending.  

All parties, independent candidates and agents should ensure they understand the rules and that all spending is properly authorised, recorded, and reported.  

Exceeding the spending limit or failure to submit a spending return or declaration by the deadline without an authorised excuse is a criminal offence under The Senedd Cymru Representation of the People Order 2025.  

The electoral commission has legal remit to secure compliance with the rule on candidate spending and donations, but no sanctioning powers in respect of breaches. Suspected breaches of the rules should be referred to the police.  

The primary responsibility lies with the constituency returning officer and the electoral registration officer(s) for each area. They work closely with their local police force. 

Guidance on policing elections has been published to support police officers and SPOCs as they put in place plans to prevent and detect electoral fraud in England and Wales. This guidance, which builds on work previously carried out by the Electoral Commission and the National Police Chiefs Council, now forms part of the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice for police forces in England and Wales. 

The Representation of the People Act 1983 specifies a number of criminal offences relating to electoral fraud. The relevant police force for the area in which the election is taking place would investigate any allegations that an offence may have taken place.

Every police force has designated a single point of contact officer (known as a SPOC) to lead on election-related crime, who will give advice to local police officers. People can also choose to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Anyone, including candidates, politicians and members of the public, who has evidence of electoral fraud taking place should report it to the police immediately, using the 101 non-emergency number, unless there is a crime in progress.

• Personation – It is an offence to vote as someone else (whether that person is living, dead or fictitious), either by post or at a polling station, in person or as a proxy.  
• Undue influence / intimidation – Undue influence is when someone uses, or threatens to use, force or violence to make someone vote a certain way or not vote at all.  This includes the offences of both direct and indirect undue influence, and those taking place both before and after an election.  
• Bribery – A person is guilty of bribery if they directly or indirectly offer any reward (financial or otherwise) in order to induce any voter to vote or refrain from voting.  
• Treating – A person is guilty of treating if either before, during, or after an election they offer food, drink or entertainment to corruptly influence any voter. Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality.
• False statements – It is an offence to make or publish a false statement of fact about the personal character or conduct of a candidate in order to affect the return of a candidate at an election. False statements that are not about a candidate’s personal character or conduct are not illegal under electoral law, but could be considered as libel or slander. It is an offence to knowingly provide a false statement on a nomination paper.
• Multiple voting and proxy voting offences – There are various offences regarding multiple voting and proxy voting, including voting (whether in person, by post or by proxy) when you are not allowed to and voting more than once in the same election.
• False information in connection with registration and absent voting – It is an offence to supply false registration information to an electoral registration officer. It is also an offence to supply false information for a postal or proxy vote.
• Handling of postal voting documents by political campaigners - It is an offence for political campaigners to handle completed ballot papers or postal ballot packs for voters who are not their close family or someone they care for.

At the Senedd Election, the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) is personally responsible for the conduct of the election, including the nomination process, counting the votes and declaring the result. 

Electoral registration officers (or EROs) are responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the electoral registers and list of absent voters within their area. They must ensure that the electoral registers are as accurate and complete as possible.

The returning officer only receives the writ (though they can delegate this function). The writ is the order to hold an election in a constituency. The returning officer can also choose to declare the result at the end of the count and return the writ.

The acting Returning Officer, who is usually a senior officer of the local authority, is responsible for the administration of the election, including the conduct of the count.  

Presiding officers are appointed by local ROs to run polling stations. Duties include organising the layout of the polling station, supervising poll clerks, issuing ballot papers, assisting voters, accounting for all ballot papers and ensuring that ballot boxes are transported securely to the count venue.