With the Senedd election happening on 7 May, you might be wondering who the candidates are in your area and where to find reliable, official information about them.
There are several ways you can find out who you can vote for. Let’s take a look:
What is “my area”?
For a Senedd election, Wales is split into voting areas called constituencies. There are 16 constituencies for this election, and they all have roughly the same number of people living in them.
On the day of the election you will have one vote for the political party or independent candidate you want to represent your constituency in the Senedd.
Not sure what your constituency is? Use our constituency finder map to find out.
Use trusted websites
Several organisations publish information about candidates standing in the Senedd election, which you can search by postcode. The following websites are a good starting point for finding official, impartial information.
Vote.Wales
- Shows which parties and candidates are standing for election in your area.
- Helps you find practical voting information, such as where your polling station is.
- Provides information in Easy Read.
Vote.wales is an official website which gives impartial information about voting in Wales and taking part in the Senedd election. It is run by the Electoral Management Board for Wales, which is politically neutral, and aims to help people find trusted information about the Senedd election.
Whocanivotefor.co.uk
- Shows which parties and candidates are standing for election in your area.
- Gives in-depth information about candidates and political parties.
- Includes constituency maps.
WhoCaniVoteFor.co.uk is run by Democracy Club, a non‑profit organisation that promotes participation in democracy.
Electoral Commission
- Explains how the Senedd election works.
- Links to local election information.
- Helps you find official sources in your area.
The Electoral Commission is the independent body that oversees elections in the UK. It provides official, verified information.
Your local council
In the weeks before the election, your local authority (council) will publish an official document called the Statement of Persons Nominated. It lists:
- All candidates standing in each constituency.
- The political party they represent (if any).
- Independent candidates.
You should be able to find this in the Elections section of your local council’s website.
Look out for election leaflets and community events
You can also learn about candidates through:
- Election leaflets delivered to your home.
- Local events or hustings.
- Coverage in local newspapers, radio or community websites.
A “hustings” is a meeting where candidates or parties answer questions from members of the public. Hustings give voters an opportunity to hear the views of the people standing for election in their area.
Make an informed choice
Finding out who is standing is the first step.
To find out more, you can look at party or candidate manifestos.
Manifestos are a list of promises made by a political party (or independent candidate) and suggests the things they will do if they are elected.
This will help you find out what they think about issues that matter to you.
Manifestos should be easy to find online by searching for political parties or independent candidates by name.
Once you’ve learned more about the parties and candidates in your area, you can make an informed choice about who to vote for.
