Whether you’re voting for the first time on 7 May or simply want to find out how the Senedd election will work, here’s everything you need to know.
Before the election
The current Senedd will officially end on 8 April - this is known as dissolution.
After this date all Senedd business ends, including meetings, committee work, and any draft laws in progress. Members stop representing their constituencies and all of the seats in the Senedd become vacant.
Register to vote
If you’re aged 16 or over and live in Wales, you can vote in the 2026 Senedd election. But first you need to register.
Registering online is simple and only takes five minutes.
You can also apply for a postal vote or vote by proxy.
Once you have registered you will be sent a polling card. This will tell you where you need to go to vote (your polling station) on the day of the election.
Find out who is standing for election in your area
Before the election, each political party will make a list of up to eight candidates for every constituency in Wales. Candidates can only stand for election in one constituency.
Independent candidates, who are not in a political party, can also stand.
All parties must submit their candidate lists by 9 April. You can find out who is standing for election in your area on the Electoral Commission website after this date and decide who you want to vote for.
Find out what your new constituency is
For this election, Wales is being split into 16 new constituencies instead of its current 40. Each constituency has six ‘seats’, so will elect six Members, making a total of 96.
Find out what your new constituency is by entering your postcode into our constituency finder map.
See all 16 new constituencies and read about how they were created.
On the day of the election
Voting at a polling station
If you’re voting in person, your polling card will tell you where you need to go to vote on the day of the election. This will be somewhere near to where you live, like a school or community centre.
- On 7 May polling stations will be open from 07:00 until 22:00
- You do not need to bring your polling card or ID with you
When you arrive, staff at the polling station will ask for your name and address so they can find you on their list of voters for your area. They will give you a ballot paper, and you can go to a booth to cast your vote in private. Pens and pencils are provided.
The ballot paper will show the names of everyone standing for election on each party’s list, plus any independent candidates, so you will be able to see who could be elected in your area.
We’ve made a sample ballot paper to give you an idea of how it will look on the day.
You have one vote, to choose a political party or independent candidate you want to represent you and your constituency in the Senedd.
- Once you have made your selection, post your vote into the ballot box
- If you’re not sure what to do or need any help, the polling station staff will be happy to assist
If you would like more information on what happens on election day, you can find out more at the Electoral Commission website.
When will the results be announced?
After the polling stations close, the votes are counted.
Votes at the 2026 Senedd election will be counted during the daytime on the day after the poll, Friday 8 May 2026.
Election counts are managed locally, so the time that each result is announced will be different for each area.
Each Member’s position, or ‘seat’, will be allocated using a closed list proportional representation system. This means that seats are allocated based on the share of the vote that each party or independent candidate gets.
Find out more about the new voting system.
Election results will be published on the Senedd website once they are available.