EXPLORING ELECTIONS
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 IS ONE THING YOU’VE NOTICED DURING THIS SENEDD ELECTION? SENEDD ELECTION…
What is the first word that comes to your mind when you are thinking about the Senedd Election?
WHAT IS THE SENEDD ELECTION?
The Senedd election on Thursday 7th May is when people in Wales get to choose their Member of the Senedd (MS) to represent their area (called a constituency).
Wales is made up of 16 constituencies or ‘seats’.
Your MS will represent you and the people living in your constituency in the Senedd.
Most MSs are members of a political party. The political party that has the most MSs will form the Welsh Government and they are in charge.
WHO CAN YOU VOTE FOR?
On May 7th, hundreds of candidates will stand across Wales. Everyone who can vote, will get to decide who represents them in the Senedd.
Most candidates will belong to a political party, these are some of the main ones: Conservative Green Labour Liberal Plaid Cymru Reform Democrat
Some candidates will be independent, which means that they don’t belong to a political party.
DO YOU RECOGNISE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE?
Can you name any of them?
THESE ARE THE LEADERS OF THE MAIN PARTIES
One of these people will become First Minister the day after the Senedd Election.
Anthony Slaugher
Jane Dodds
Eluned Morgan Rhun ap Iorwerth
Darren Millar Green Party Liberal Democrats Labour Party Plaid Cymru
Conservative Party
WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES FOR THIS ELECTION?
According to the YouGov tracker poll of Wales voters, the most important issues for this election are:
The Economy Immigration and Asylum
Health
What issues do you think are most important to young people?
DOES VOTING MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Voting in elections can make a big difference.
When we vote in the next Senedd election, we are voting for a party to represent our area, known as a constituency. There will be around 140,000 potential voters in a constituency.
Turnout - the number of people who vote - can be as low as 50%.
That means that a small group of people can have a huge influence on the election.
Which candidate wins an election in a constituency can be decided by around 100 votes or fewer.
DOES VOTING MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Case study: Vale of Clwyd 2021
In Senedd elections, the result in a constituency can be decided by a very small number of votes.
In the 2021 Vale of Clwyd election, the winning candidate had a majority of just 1.4% of the vote over the runner-up. This shows that every vote really counts in Senedd elections
Your vote makes a difference.
WHY DOES YOUNG PEOPLE VOTING MATTER?
Politics is about you and your voice. All votes count.
In the 2021 Senedd election, the overall turnout was 46.8%,
Turnout among 16 and 17 year olds was much 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 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 'anxious' about future as youth unemployment on the rise’ (ITV Wales, 27th February 2025)
● ‘Senedd backs tobacco ban for ‘smoke-free generation’’’ (Sky News, 17th July 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)
● ‘20mph policy expected to prevent 1,000 casualties since introduction 2 years ago’.
(North Wales Chronicle, 17th September 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 WILL POLITICS AFFECT ME IN THE FUTURE?
Some more headlines:
● ‘UK to build first mini nuclear power station in North Wales, angering Washington ’’ (Reuters, 13th November 2025)
● ‘Young people to get £1 bus fares across Wales’ (BBC, 31st August 2025)
● ‘Minimum wage rise gives boost to 2.7 million lowest-paid’’ (BBC, 30th May 2019)
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.
WHO CAN VOTE IN UK ELECTIONS?
How old do you need to be to vote in elections in Wales?
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?
You can vote if:
you are 16 or over
You are a British citizen, Irish citizen or a citizen of an EU country.
You are a citizen of another country and have permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or you do not need permission.
Not a British citizen? Click here to see if you are eligible to vote in Senedd elections.
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.
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 Wales. 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 a number yet or can’t find 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
Voting by proxy means asking someone you trust to vote for you, at your polling station, on your behalf. At the polling station
Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm, giving you plenty of time to fit it around your day. This video from the Electoral Commission explains how to vote in person:
Voting by post is a straightforward option if you know you’ll be away on election day, can’t get to your polling station, or don’t want to vote in person.
WHAT DO I NEED TO VOTE IN PERSON?
For the Senedd election you do NOT need to bring ID to vote or prove your identity.
IDENTITY CARD
WHERE CAN I VOTE?
To vote you need to visit your local polling station to cast your ballot. Once the election has been announced, you will be able to look up your local polling station using this polling station finder:
Wheredoivote.co.uk
Your polling station should also be written on your poll card that you should receive in the post. Your polling station is open from 7am to 10pm.
ACTIVITY: MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE
To remember to vote on election day it is a good idea to make a plan.
Write down the answers to these questions to help you make your plan: Where is my polling station? - You can look up your polling station here, remember it might have moved since the last election.
What time will I vote? - Polling stations are open between 7am10pm, remember that their might be a queue if you go at a busy time, so make sure you leave enough time. What do I need to take with me? - You do not need to take anything with you for Senedd Elections, including any ID
WHERE WHEN WHO
NOW, SET A REMINDER
Now you have a plan to vote it is a good idea to set a reminder in your phone/calendar for Thursday 7th May at the right time and location. You do not need to take any ID with you. Fancy making it an occasion? Why not coordinate with some friends or family members and go together?
YOU CAN BRING YOUR PETS!
If you have a pet, you can bring them along to the polling station with you.
If you have a dog, then remember to tag them at #dogsatpollingstations.
You can also check out #petsatpollingstations and #horsesatpollingstations!
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
When an election is taking place, you can find out more about candidates and parties standing in your area by visitinghttps://whocanivotefor.co.uk/
You can also get in touch with your local council about your local area by visiting - https://www.fixmystreet.com/
You can directly contact your local representatives athttps://www.writetothem.com/
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.
APPENDIX: KEY DATES FOR 2026 SENEDD ELECTION
Pre election period begins
30th March
20th April 11:59pm
Postal Vote Deadline (to apply)
Voter Registration Deadline
21st April 5pm
28th April 5pm
Election Day
Proxy Vote Deadline (to apply)
7th May
APPENDIX: COUNTRIES WHOSE CITIZENS ARE COMMONWEALTH CITIZENS
Antigua and Barbuda Cameroon Ghana Lesotho Namibia Saint Kitts and Nevis Solomon Islands Tonga
Australia Canada Grenada Malawi Nauru Saint Lucia South Africa Trinidad and Tobago
Bangladesh Cyprus* Guyana Malaysia New Zealand Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sri Lanka Tuvalu
Barbados Dominica India Maldives Nigeria Samoa Tanzania Uganda
Belize Eswatini Jamaica Malta* Pakistan Seychelles The Bahamas United Kingdom
Botswana Fiji Kenya Mauritius Papua New Guinea Sierra Leone The Gambia Vanuatu
Brunei Gabon Kiribati Mozambique Rwanda Singapore Togo Zambia Zimbabwe
*All Commonwealth citizens that are legally resident in Wales can vote in Senedd elections
APPENDIX: EU COUNTRIES WITH BILATERAL VOTING AGREEMENTS
Denmark
Luxembourg
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Anyone who is a citizen of these countries has the right to vote in Senedd elections regardless of their ‘leave to remain’ status.
APPENDIX: ALL OTHER EU COUNTRIES
Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia
Cyprus* Czech Republic Estonia Finland
France Germany Greece Hungary
Ireland* Italy Latvia Lithuania
Malta Netherlands Romania
Slovenia Sweden
Slovakia
All EU citizens can vote in local and Senedd elections in Wales. Anyone from these countries who has been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31/12/2020 can vote in Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
*Although EU member states, citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are eligible to vote in all elections held in the UK.