The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming Senedd election is midnight on 20 April 2026.
This article sets out who can vote in Senedd elections, how to register, and what to expect on polling day.
Who can vote?
To vote in a Senedd election, on the day of the poll (in this case, 7 May 2026) you must be:
- Registered in the register of local government electors in a Senedd constituency (see below on how to do this);
- A UK citizen, a Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, an EU citizen, or a qualifying foreign citizen (i.e., a citizen of another country who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need such permission);
- 16 years old or over; and
- Not subject to any legal incapacity to vote (e.g., detained convicted prisoners can’t vote).
These requirements are set out in section 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended.
Votes at 16 – take two
This will be the second Senedd election at which the minimum voting age is 16 years old. This change was introduced by the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020.
Lowering the voting age to 16 was a recommendation of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform, which reported in 2017. The panel stated that if the voting age were to be lowered, the Senedd Commission should work with the Welsh Government, Electoral Commission, political parties, and others:
…to support and encourage young people to exercise their right to vote, most importantly through appropriate political and citizenship education and public awareness-raising…
A report by the Wales Governance Centre labelled the 2021 Senedd election a “false start” in terms of votes at 16, largely due to the impact of the Covid Pandemic. It suggested that the upcoming election should be treated as a fresh start:
…particularly in terms of the promotion of a coordinated education programme to ensure that potential benefits for political participation of votes-at-16 are maximised.
Work is underway that aims to increase participation at this election, particularly among young people. The Welsh Government has made £400,000 available per year to improve democratic engagement. The Senedd Commission has been working with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and the Electoral Commission to coordinate activity aimed at helping young people to feel more confident about the election. This includes producing educational resources, such as school lesson plans.
In January 2026, the Senedd Commission’s education team held 107 sessions with school pupils eligible to vote, and it is using digital advertising on various platforms to reach potential first-time voters. The Commission also has a dedicated election hub, and a website providing information on its education and youth engagement work.
How can I register?
Registering to vote for a Senedd election is straightforward.
To register online, head to this UK Government website and fill in your details. This will also ensure you are registered to vote in local government elections (i.e. councils – anyone on the local government elections register in Wales will be registered to vote in the Senedd election).
If you are eligible, you will also be added to the register for UK Parliament elections. More information on eligibility for voting in different elections can be found here.
It is also possible to register to vote using a paper form, if you prefer.
You can register to vote from the age of 14, but you will only be able to vote in the election if you are at least 16 years old on the day of the poll.
You will also need to be resident in Wales. The Electoral Commission has published guidance on what counts as ‘resident’. For example, students are likely to be entitled to register to vote at both the address at which they stay during the term time, and the address at which they stay the rest of the year. Even if you are registered to vote in two constituencies in Wales, you can still only vote once in a Senedd election.
Information on the process for registering anonymously (e.g., due to safety concerns) can be found here.
If you’re not sure whether you’re already registered, contact your local electoral registration office for confirmation.
You must register to vote by midnight on 20 April 2026 to be able to vote in the upcoming Senedd election.
Postal and proxy voting
As well as voting in person at a polling station, you can register to vote by post, or enable someone to vote on your behalf as a proxy.
You must have registered to vote before midnight on 20 April 2026 in order to be able to apply for postal or proxy votes for the upcoming Senedd election.
The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on 21 April 2026.
The deadline for applying to vote by proxy is 5pm on 28 April 2026.
In order to apply to vote via postal vote or through a proxy at Senedd elections, you will need to print, fill out and post the relevant form to your local electoral registration office. It is not possible to apply online to vote by post or through a proxy at a Senedd election.
If you need to replace a lost or spoilt postal ballot, or you need to make an emergency proxy application, the deadline to do so is 5pm on polling day.
If you’ve left it too late to return your postal vote by post, you can take the ballot paper in person to your polling station by 10pm on the day of the poll, or to your local electoral registration office before it closes.
What to expect on polling day
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 7 May 2026.
When voting in the election, you will cast one vote, for either a political party or an independent candidate. You can see an example ballot paper here.
You do not need to take ID to the polling station for Senedd elections.
Counting of the ballots will take place the following day. We’ll update our Etholiad homepage with an analysis of the results as soon as possible.
The Electoral Commission also provides information on registering and voting.
Keep up-to-date
Our Etholiad 26 project consists of useful resources relating to the upcoming election, including information on election accessibility measures and a timeline of the key dates. We’ll update it in the run up to and after the election.
Article by Adam Cooke, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
