EXPLORING ELECTIONS
2026 Senedd Election
WHAT IS THIS ASSEMBLY ABOUT?
● The point and purpose of voting in elections
● How to have your voice heard in decisions that affect you
● How to register to vote and how to vote in elections
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD “POLITICS”?
What is the first word that comes to your mind when you are thinking about politics?
HOW DOES POLITICS AFFECT ME NOW?
Here are some recent headlines about issues that affect young people. What do you think?
● ‘Rents in Wales rising faster than anywhere else in Britain, housing charity finds’
(Nation.cymru, 24th December 2025)
● ‘Young people to get £1 bus fares across Wales’ (BBC, 31st August 2025)
● ‘Senedd backs tobacco ban for ‘smoke-free generation’’’ (Sky News, 17th July 2025)
● ‘20mph policy expected to prevent 1,000 casualties since introduction 2 years ago’.
(North Wales Chronicle, 17th September 2025)
Politics has already played a large role in your lives.
HOW WILL POLITICS AFFECT ME IN THE FUTURE?
Here are some recent headlines about issues that may affect you in the future.
What do you think?
● ‘’A precarious position’: almost 3,000 species at risk of disappearing from Wales, report finds’
(The Guardian, 27th November 2025)
● ‘AI Growth Zone to bring more than 3,400 jobs to North Wales’’’
(Business News Wales, 14th November 2025)
● ‘Young people 'anxious' about future as youth unemployment on the rise’
(ITV Wales, 27th February 2025)
As you leave college, a range of new and familiar issues will impact on you as you move onto your next steps.
This means it is important that your voice is heard when decisions are made about topics like these.
How can you get those making the decisions to listen to you?
HOW CAN I GET POLITICIANS TO LISTEN TO ME?
You can use your voice in lots of different ways to campaign on issues that matter to you.
For example, you can write to politicians or sign a petition about an issue you feel strongly about. A powerful way to get politicians to listen to your views and opinions is by voting in elections.
Elections in Wales
WHO CAN VOTE IN UK ELECTIONS?
How old do you need to be to vote in a UK election?
If you live in Wales, there are different ages for different elections. You need to be 16 years old to vote in Local Council and Senedd elections. To vote in elections for UK MPs, you need to be 18. You can register to vote from 14 years old - more on that later!
WHO CAN VOTE IN SENEDD ELECTIONS?
If you are a British citizen or a qualifying foreign citizen you can vote in the Senedd elections.
A qualifying foreign citizen is a citizen of another country who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need such permission. This include Irish, Commonwealth and all EU citizens.
Not sure if you can vote?
Check which elections you can vote in using the ‘Can I Vote?’ tool or for more information use the Electoral Commission’s ‘Which Elections Can I vote In?’ website.
If you’re not eligible to vote you can still participate by directly contacting the politicians who represent the area you live in. Check out writetothem.com to see who represents your area.
WHY DOES YOUNG PEOPLE VOTING MATTER?
Politics is about you and your voice. All votes matter.
In the 2024 General Election, around 37% of those aged 18 - 24 years old voted.In the same year, around 73% of those aged 65 and over voted.
In the 2021 Senedd election, turnout among 16 and 17 year olds was notably lower than turnout among the over 55s.'
If young people like you do not vote, your voice may not be heard when important decisions are made about issues that affect you.
HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?
To vote, you need to check your eligibility and register
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
It only takes 5 minutes - you just need to fill in where you live, your date of birth, name, nationality and National Insurance number. You can register from 14 in Scotland and Wales, and from 16 in England and Northern Ireland.
Where do I find my National Insurance number - this should have been posted or emailed to you once you turned 16. If you have a job, it will be on your payslip. If you don’t have it don’t worry, you can register without it!
Go here to register to vote. It takes 5 minutes!
Go here to register to vote. It takes 5 minutes!
WAYS YOU CAN VOTE
VOTER ID
You do not need voter ID for Senedd elections.
You may have heard that you need photo ID for elections now, but you actually only require photo ID for UK parliamentary elections - elections for MPs. Senedd and local elections in Wales do not require voter ID.
WHO CAN I VOTE FOR?
In each area the larger parties try to be represented with a local candidate, plus you will potentially have independent candidates too.
Click on this link to find out the exact candidates in your constituency: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/
KEY
DATES FOR THE SENEDD ELECTIONS
Voter Registration Deadline
April 21st 5pm
Proxy Vote Deadline (to apply)
20th April 11:59pm
Postal Vote Deadline (to apply)
April 28th 5pm
7th May Election Day
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
You can check out Democracy Classroom - a shared hub of resources, training opportunities and events, designed to help teacher, youth workers and young people better understand democracy.
https://www.democracyclassroom.com/
The Democracy Classroom Partnership is made up of a range of organisations that span the youth, education and democracy sectors.
