In Wales there are “a number of barriers faced by electors, in particular people with certain protected characteristics, including Disabled people”. The Welsh Government is guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People and has a responsibility to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from public life, including elections.
So, what is being done to improve accessibility for voters at the 2026 Senedd election? This article will explore some of the measures introduced aiming to make voting easier and more inclusive.
Who’s in charge of elections in Wales?
Running elections in Wales involves several bodies. The Welsh Government has responsibility for many aspects of Senedd and local government elections, including developing the rules for how they should be conducted.
The Electoral Commission is a UK-wide body which oversees elections and political finances, issuing guidance for returning officers, candidates and agents and promoting fair and democratic elections. It makes sure elections are run well, based on the law, and that people have all the information they need.
The Electoral Management Board for Wales (EMB) was established by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru following legislation passed by the Senedd. It coordinates the administration of elections across Wales and provides advice to returning officers, local authorities and the Welsh Government about the administration of elections and referendums.
How is the Welsh Government trying to improve access to the election?
The Welsh Government has taken measures aiming to improve access to election information prior to election day, as well as to make it easier to vote on polling day. Many of these measures were required by the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024 (the 2024 Act).
Turnout at elections is usually considered a key way to measure participation, though not the sole factor. Turnout at Senedd elections has remains “stubbornly low” with 46.8% of people voting in 2021, a level that the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales described as “a poor state”.
Voter information platform
The 2024 Act introduced a duty on Welsh Ministers to provide for a voter information platform. The Welsh Voter Information Platform aims to “provide information to voters and support them in the participation of elections in Wales”. The EMB says the Platform will be transparent, accessible and impartial.
The Platform will include:
- election notices, such as official announcements of elections and polling details;
- candidate and party information;
- polling station information; and
- election results with official declarations post-election.
The Platform will operate a ‘minimum possible version’ in time for the 2026 Senedd election with updates to follow in 2027.
Accessibility at polling stations
Disabled people face significant barriers to voting and, crucially, being able to vote in private. The review of accessibility of democratic engagement in Wales in 2024 recommended changes to polling stations, including:
- step-free and hands-free access to every polling station and a flat and obstacle-free route through the polling station;
- all information at polling stations should also be available in a variety of accessible formats, as well as in multiple different languages; and
- postal ballots, and the information associated with postal voting, should be in accessible formats, as well as multiple languages.
Several of these recommendations have been adopted for the 2026 Senedd election, including that polling booths should be adjusted to ensure they are accessible for wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments.
Duty on returning officers
The Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025 puts a duty on returning officers to ensure provisions are made at the polling station “enabling, or making it easier for, relevant persons to vote independently”. According to the Order, ‘relevant persons’ are those who find it difficult or impossible to vote because of either severe sight impairment, partial sight, or another disability. This brings Senedd elections in line with reserved elections in Wales following changes made by the Elections Act 2022.
Following a consultation, the Electoral Commission has issued guidance to returning officers on providing assistance to Disabled voters. The 2025 Order places a duty on returning officers to have regard to this guidance.
Measures that will be in place for the 2026 election include accessible voting equipment and large print copies of ballot papers.
Accessible voting pilots
Two accessible voting pilots were launched in February 2025 following a Royal National Institute of Blind People report which explored the voting experience of blind and partially sighted people. The report found that only a quarter of blind and partially sighted people felt the current electoral system enabled them to vote independently and in secret. The pilot therefore tested several initiatives, including:
- audio solutions to help voters understand the information on ballot papers in the form of a QR code linking to a YouTube video, an automated telephone information line and an audio accord device; and
- tactile voting solutions to help participants mark their ballot papers independently in the form of cardboard voting overlays and tactile voting devices.
Following the pilot, the Welsh Government published findings. Participants in the pilot found that any of the voting solutions trialled would improve their voting experience, enabling them to vote independently and secretly.
Potential future measures
Automatic voter registration
Established under powers within the 2024 Act, the Welsh Government held automatic voter registration (AVR) pilots in 2025. AVR means that citizens do not need to register to vote and will be automatically added to the register with the option to opt-out. If AVR were adopted Wales-wide following the pilots, the Welsh Government estimates that around 400,000 people not already registered to vote could be added.
In July 2025, the First Minister commented on the AVR pilots in Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd, Newport and Powys and said that “a huge amount of learning has been undertaken”. The Electoral Commission published its evaluation of the pilots in December 2025, concluding that the pilots suggest AVR “could have a positive impact on the completeness of the electoral registers”.
The Welsh Government stated that AVR will not be introduced for the upcoming Senedd election, but that its intention is to roll it out for the 2027 local government elections.
Electronic online voting
The Welsh Government has also noted the potential benefits of electronic online voting for modernising Welsh democracy. This would mean all eligible voters could vote remotely using a computer or smartphone. While it was recognised that electronic online voting would be “the gold standard of convenience”, this is considered a long-term goal and there are currently no plans to legislate on this in the immediate future.
Other measures
Several other recommendations of the review of the accessibility of democratic engagement have not been implemented. Recommendations included providing Disabled people with a guide of what to expect on polling day, sufficient seating available in polling queues with opportunities to ‘queue jump’ if necessary and flexible voting.
The 2024 Act places an additional duty upon the Electoral Commission to reporting on the steps taken by returning officers at elections to assist Disabled persons. This will be published alongside its reports following the 2026 Senedd election.
Stay up to date
These measures are just some of the changes aimed at making Welsh democracy more inclusive and accessible for all. For more information on the upcoming election, see our Etholiad resources page.
Article by Emma Brewis, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
Senedd Research acknowledges the parliamentary fellowship provided to Emma Brewis by the ESRC which enabled this article to be completed.
