Senedd Cymru Election 2026: Directions
The Electoral Management Board has issued directions to Returning Officers for the Senedd Cymru election taking place on 7 May 2026.
What are directions?
The Electoral Management Board may issue legally binding directions to Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers on how devolved elections are run.
Before issuing directions, the Electoral Management Board consults with Returning Officers and with the Electoral Commission.
The Electoral Management Board may issue further directions for this election at a later date.
Directions (Senedd Cymru Election 2026)
These directions are given by the Electoral Management Board under Sections 20B and 20C of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru etc. Act 2013 (“the 2013 Act”), as amended by the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024 (“the 2024 Act”).
Under this legislation, the EMB may give directions in writing to Returning Officers (ROs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) about the exercise of the officers’ functions in relation to Senedd elections.
As required by legislation, the Directions have been the subject of formal consultation with the Electoral Commission. An informal consultation has also taken place with Returning Officers. The final directions issued reflect issues identified and comments made in those consultations.
The EMB approved this final set of directions on the 3 October 2025. The table below provides a full statement of the directions with a short commentary where clarification might be useful.
1. Ballot Paper
Colour of ballot paper
(a) Subject to direction 1(b) below, ballot papers must be white and tendered ballot papers must be pink.
(b) Ballot papers and/or tendered ballot papers of other colours may be used:
- in the constituencies of Caerdydd Penarth and/or Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, for reasons of administrative convenience arising from the fact that those constituencies share a returning officer;
- where ballot papers are re-issued for any reason; and/or
- in other exceptional circumstances where the returning officer considers that other colours should be used for reasons of administrative necessity or in order to avoid confusion among electors, for example in order to manage cross-boundary issues.
The ballot paper is the fundamental voter facing document in the election. This provides a consistent form of paper for all voters.
2. Notices
Publication of Notice of Election
Returning Officers must publish the Notice of Election during the week commencing 23 March 2026.
This provides a consistent approach to publishing the Notice and also means the nomination period for parties and candidates is broadly consistent across Wales.
3. Poll Cards
Date of dispatch of poll cards
Returning Officers must ensure that the main poll card print run is dispatched to electors no later than 3 April 2026.
The vast majority of poll cards arriving in the same week provides consistency across Wales.
4. Second Interim Election Notice of Alteration
Publication Date
Electoral Registration Officers must publish the Second Interim Election Notice of Alteration between 21 April and 24 April 2026.
With publication of the Second Interim Election Notice of Alteration near to the postal vote application deadline, a second issue of postal votes is able to pick up those electors who have applied for a postal vote since the first issue, ensuring they get their postal packs as quickly as possible and do not have to wait until the final issue.
5. Verification and Count
Count Timing
Returning Officers must ensure that the first ballot boxes are opened after 9:00 am and not later than 11:00am on Friday 8 May 2026 to allow the verification and count to begin. There will be no overnight counting of votes but the verification/count in all constituencies must be underway by 11:00am on 8 May 2026.
In circumstances where the Returning Officer considers the verification process should take place overnight for reasons of administrative necessity, for example in order to manage cross- boundary issues, they may do so.
The Direction formalises the position that there will be no overnight count, but ensures that there will be no undue delay, with all Counts underway by 11:00 am.
The Direction does not require that all ballot boxes will have been received at the Count Centre(s) by 11:00am on 8 May. It only requires that boxes begin to be opened by 11:00am.
The Direction does not prevent Returning Officers from undertaking preparatory work immediately following the close of poll. The verification/counting of the votes on 8 May does not preclude a reconciliation of unused or spoilt papers and the checking of arithmetic on Ballot Paper Accounts at the close of poll/overnight. However, Returning Officers are reminded that if they undertake any such checking of spoilt or unused papers, or begin the verification stage, at the close of poll/overnight then access of candidates, agents, observers etc. to observe will need to be permitted. The need to ensure transparency, scrutiny and acceptance is paramount so the details of any such activities would need to be publicised to candidates, agents, observers etc.
6. Postal Votes
Royal Mail Sweep
Returning Officers must make arrangements with Royal Mail for a polling day sweep of the sorting office(s) for their constituency to ensure that, as far as possible, all postal packs in the system are recovered.
The EMB will liaise centrally with Royal Mail, but the local arrangements for the receipt of the sweep need to be made by each RO with their Royal Mail representative. It is in the interest of the voters that every effort is made to recover all the votes cast.
Directions (Welsh Elections Information Platform)
These directions are given by the Electoral Management Board under Sections 20B and 20C of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru etc. Act 2013 (“the 2013 Act”), as amended by the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024 (“the 2024 Act”).
Under this legislation, the EMB may give directions in writing to Returning Officers (ROs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) about the exercise of the officers’ functions in relation to Senedd elections.
These directions relate to the EMB’s obligation to operate the Welsh Elections Information Platform.
1. Polling station and accessibility information
Provision of information to Democracy Club
Returning Officers must provide polling station and their accessibility information to Democracy Club who will process the data on behalf of the EMB.
This information must include responses to the following questions, in relation to each polling station in the area for which the Returning Officer is responsible:
- Is the polling station a temporary structure?
- Is there level access to the polling station?
- If a ramp is used to provide access to the polling station, is the ramp permanent or temporary?
- Is there parking nearby?
- Is disabled parking available?
- Is there a hearing loop in use at the polling station?
- Are there publicly accessible toilets on site?
Democracy Club will also make available two optional free text fields with the headings “Getting to the station” and “At the station”, should Returning Officers wish to provide any further information.
The data must be provided in a form, and in accordance with timescales, which will be determined by Democracy Club.
If a polling station changes at short notice, the Returning Officer should use best endeavours to provide the updated information as soon as practicable.
There is a legal requirement for the EMB to provide accessibility information for each polling station on the Welsh Elections Information Platform. The EMB is reliant on the Returning Officers providing this information as they are responsible for polling stations.
All Returning Officers currently provide the Democracy Club with polling station data so this direction is to formalise those arrangements. The Welsh Elections Information Platform will obtain this information from Democracy Club and will use it to provide an area specific search functionality to voters.
2. Official Notices
Provision of published notices
Returning Officers must provide to the EMB the formal notices relating to the election which Returning Officers are required to publish by Schedule 5 to the Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025.
Specifically, Returning Officers must provide the following to the EMB when they are published:
- The Notice of Election (as required by paragraph 3 of Schedule 5);
- The Statement of Parties and Persons Nominated (as required by paragraph 17 of Schedule 5);
- The Notice of Poll (as required by paragraph 31(1) of Schedule 5);
- The Notice of the Situation of Polling stations and the description of voters entitled to vote there (as required by paragraph 31(2) of Schedule 5); and
- The Declaration of results (as required by regulation 64(4) of Schedule 5).
Each of these notices must be:
- emailed to the EMB (to the email address which will be confirmed in guidance published by the EMB) as soon as practicable after the RO has published the notice and no later than 24 hours after publication; and
- provided to the EMB in the same format in which the Returning Officer has published the notice on their own website.
If the Returning Officer amends and republishes any of these notices at a later date, they must email the updated notice to the EMB as soon as practicable for republication on the WEIP.
The EMB must publish each of the 5 notices listed above directly on the WEIP. Returning Officers must provide these notices in order for the EMB to do so.
3. Nominations process
Provision of information about the platform to candidates and election agents
When conducting the nomination process the Returning Officer must ensure that candidates and election agents receive the ‘required information’ about the Welsh Elections Information Platform.
The ‘required information’ will be supplied by the EMB and will contain information about the Welsh Elections Information Platform and the election address submission process. It will also highlight the data sharing arrangements between Returning Officers and the EMB to aid transparency.
It must be provided to the candidates and elections agents when nominations are delivered by hand or by electronic means, and the EMB will provide resources for both situations.
It should be received by the candidates and election agents within 24 hours of the Returning Officer’s receipt of the nomination paper.
The Returning Officer has the initial contact with candidates and election agents during the election process. The provision of the ‘required information’ at this point will explain the platform’s operation and the election address submission process, and will aid transparency as to the processing of relevant personal data.
4. Information about candidates and election agents
Candidate data for election addresses submission process
Information to enable accessible presentation of election addresses on the platform
Returning Officers must provide candidate and election agent data to the EMB for the purposes of the online election address submission system and for the publication of candidate information.
The data to be provided is as follows:
Party list candidates |
Individual candidates |
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Data set A - Election address submission information |
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Data set B – Information about Parties / candidates nominated |
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Data set A must be provided at the end of each working day during the period in which the Returning Officer is accepting nomination papers.
Data set B must be provided as soon as practicable after close of nominations. This should be after any final checks are completed for the purposes of publishing the Statement of Parties/Persons Nominated.
Any amendments that are made to the Statement of Parties / Persons Nominated after the final version of the data has been provided to the EMB, must be reported to the EMB as soon as possible. This must be done in the process outlined in the guidance issued by the EMB.
5. Publicising the platform
Wording on poll cards
Linking to the platform
1. In order to promote the Welsh Election Information Platform, Returning Officers must publish the following:
Wording on poll cards
The following wording must be included on the poll cards issued by the Returning Officer -
I gael gwybodaeth am y pleidiau a'r ymgeiswyr sy'n sefyll yn eich ardal chi, ewch i bwrwpleidlais.cymru
For information of parties and candidates standing in your area: go to vote.wales
This can be placed wherever is most appropriate for the specific design each Returning Officer approves. It must be included on all types of poll cards.
Information on Council websites
Returning Officers must ensure that a link to the Welsh Elections Information Platform is published on their Council website alongside other information they publish about the election. The link must be published on the website before or at the same time as the Notice of Election is published.
2. When conducting voter engagement activities such as social media posts the Returning Officer should also promote the Welsh Elections Information Platform.
The EMB will publicise the platform but Returning Officers should play a key role in this promotional activity, especially where they have direct contact with voters. The EMB will provide publicity materials to aid the Returning Officers in this engagement activity.
6. Verification and Count
Count Results
Returning Officers must provide the EMB with the count results by constituency.
This must be in the format prescribed by the EMB in the guidance which it issues in relation to the platform, and must be provided to the EMB on the day of the declaration of results.
In certain circumstances the deadline for provision of this information may be extended up to 3 calendar days from the declaration of results, with the agreement of the EMB.
The EMB requires that this information is provided in addition to the published Declaration of results (as to which see direction 6, below) in order to make possible the accessible presentation of results information on the platform.
The EMB will need to publish count results on the Welsh Election Information Platform. We would expect most ROs to provide the information referred to in this direction on the day of the count, although the results will not be full real time. The EMB may agree to receive delayed results information in some circumstances where a Returning Officer may have complex logistics issues.
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