2026 Senedd election

Quick history lesson. Way back in 1997 when The Spice Girls and Oasis ruled the charts, Wales voted to make things spicier in a vote on a single issue - a referendum.

And the subject of this particular vote? Asking for some powers to be handed over from the UK government to Wales. Devolution.

It was very close, but the vote passed - and boom! Wales had its own devolved government. That means that the stuff that the Senedd does is independent of the UK government - it has no say in how Wales spends money in those areas.

Since the 1997 referendum, Wales has picked up more powers and today it runs loads of things that affect everyday life in Wales, like education, the National Health Service and agriculture.

What does the Senedd actually do?

First up: Money.

Most of the Welsh government’s cash comes from the UK government, which they collect through various taxes. So, when someone earns a wage, part of it goes to the government as income tax.

Lots of things like clothes, computers and cars are also taxed. Wales also sets some taxes to raise money itself.

Altogether, it controls an annual budget of over £25 billion. Yes, billion!

That money pays for things like teachers, social housing and the environment — and the Welsh government can make laws in those areas too.

Which area gets LOTS of money? Although I’m sure they’d say it's not enough!

That would be the NHS. It takes up a whopping 55% of all Welsh government spending. More than half. Gone. Boom!

The Welsh government is run by the party that wins the most seats - that’s Members of the Senedd - in an election. The main person in charge is the first minister of Wales - basically the boss. Right now, that’s Eluned Morgan.

She leads a team of Welsh ministers. Each one is in charge of different things - like health, education and the environment.

So yeah, the Welsh government does a lot - but not everything.

Lots of things are still controlled by the UK government in Westminster.
Stuff like…
Defence - that funds the army, the RAF and the navy. And immigration - controlling who and how many people can come into the UK.

But shouldn’t Wales be able to make those decisions?

Well, some people think Wales should get even more powers. Others think Wales should scrap its own government completely.

Either way, this debate isn’t going away anytime soon - and the relationship between the UK and Welsh governments will be a big talking point during the Senedd elections.

It could get spicy guys!

Right. Gather in Wales — the next Senedd election is changing… a lot.

Think, more politicians, fewer constituencies - we’ll explain that in a minute - and a new way of voting.

So, let’s break it down.

First up, constituencies.

That’s just a fancy word for the areas of Wales that politicians represent.

Right now, Wales has 40 constituencies and 5 regions - or big areas of Wales. That’s being replaced with just 16 HUGE constituencies. Each area will now be represented by 6 Members of the Senedd, or MSs for short.

That means the total number of politicians goes from 60 to 96. More seats, more voices representing you, and a LOT more going on in the Senedd Chamber.

Now this is the part that’s really different.

You won’t be voting for a person anymore. You’ll be voting for a party.

In past Senedd elections, the person with the most votes in a constituency won. This is called First Past the Post.

But this time around it’s all about Proportional Representation, which simply means the number of seats won reflect the number of votes cast. Well… ish.

If a party gets about half the votes, they get about half the seats.

So, with this new Senedd voting system each party chooses 6 candidates - the people hoping to win a seat - and rank them in order, 1-6. A bit like your ‘favourites’ playlist.

As you’d expect, the party’s favourite candidate gets the number 1 slot.

There are several different forms of proportional representation. The Senedd uses the D’Hondt method and this is how it works.

After voting has finished, they count how many votes each party gets and start giving out seats one by one.

After winning a seat, a party’s votes are then divided by two, making it difficult to win a second seat. But if they happen to do so, then their votes are divided again, and this keeps going until all 6 seats in your local area have been filled.

It’s a great way to ensure that your vote actually counts and a fair way to share seats in elections so that parties with more votes get more seats, but smaller parties still get a chance.

Why mess with the system?

Well, Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru backed the changes.

They say this new setup better reflects how people actually vote and reflects their views.

Not everyone was for the changes though. The Welsh Conservatives argued that voting for parties instead of people gives too much power to political parties and less choice to voters.

Either way, it’s a big shake-up and the Senedd could end up looking very different after the election.

One thing that hasn’t changed though, if you’re 16 or over and live in Wales, you can vote.

You can vote in person, by post, or by letting someone vote for you.

But you have to register first. All the details are on the Senedd website, so grab the opportunity so that your voice can be heard and help shape the Senedd that you want to see.

Cwtsh in Cymru. Let’s talk Senedd, or more specifically what the Members of the Senedd actually do.

A Member of the Senedd - or MS for short - is elected by people in Wales to represent them. Which means their decisions can affect real stuff in your life. Like…

Education. Remember the new curriculum being introduced? Well, the Senedd had a hand in that.

And transport - although it's not always their fault if you keep missing the bus.

These powers are devolved, which means Wales gets to decide these things itself.

But what do they actually do?

MSs debate ideas. They disagree, but they do get on. Well, most of the time!

Tell it like it is. They debate - some might say they argue…

OK, yes, they do argue. But, with facts and figures to back up their ideas and they can vote on laws.

MSs also help decide how the budget is spent.

So, how much money are we talking about here?

Around £25 billion a year! The money is spent on things like…

Education, so paying teachers and support staff and providing free childcare for working parents of 3–4-year-olds.

Transport, like subsidising rail fares and bus routes.

And climate action, things like reducing pollution and encouraging active travel like cycling and walking.

Committees are where things get studied in detail. Small groups of MSs focus on one topic, for example health or education, and take a really deep dive into it - but on land!

They talk to experts, read evidence, and ask a LOT of questions. Heavy on detail and very long but always necessary.

But being an MS isn’t just about Cardiff Bay - they do have homes to go to. It's called their constituency.

Here, they work for their local community. They attend charity events and fundraisers, meet local groups and visit workplaces.

They also hold surgeries - but no blood and gore is involved though!

Surgeries in political terms are where people - members of the public - such as you and me, can come and talk about issues they’re facing, like the bus service being cut or traffic increasing in their area because of construction work.

Their job is to listen, understand what matters locally, and take those issues back to the Senedd.

Why are there more MSs coming to the Senedd?

Well, right now there are 60 MSs. After 2026? Ninety-six.

Supporters say the Senedd has way more powers now and needs more people to keep things in check. But critics say the money could be spent elsewhere.

So, that’s an MS.

They make laws. They hold the government to account. They argue over budgets. And they speak up for and represent the people of Wales.

Your MS. Your community. Your voice in the Senedd.

Iawn Cymru! Gather round. The Senedd elections are getting a glow up, and here’s how things look.

The Senedd is growing from 60 members to 96.

The idea is better representation, not just more seats, microphones and empty coffee cups.

Back in the day, you had two Senedd votes, so you voted for two MSs. One for your local area, which is called a constituency and another for your region which is a far bigger area.

Now, it’s just one vote. You vote for a political party, or someone who isn’t in any party - an independent candidate. Simple.

But wait — there’s a twist.

Parties choose 6 candidates for each constituency - your local area - and rank them from 1-6 with their preferred candidate - their top dog - first on the list.

This is a closed list system. The voter doesn’t decide who they vote for, they vote for a party.

So, if your Uncle Bob is a member of a political party standing for election and you really want to vote for him, you - PLOT TWIST - can’t!

You can only vote for the party that he’s in. And here’s the second plot twist.

If he’s the top dog - number 1 on the list - there’s a good chance he’ll get in, but if he’s number 6, well… not so much. This is called the D’Hondt method.

How does it work?

First up, it counts how many votes each party gets, then starts giving out seats one by one. After a party wins a seat, its votes is halved, so it’s harder for them to win the next one. This keeps going until all 6 seats in your local area have been filled.

It’s a great way to ensure that your vote actually counts and it’s a fair way to share seats in elections, so that parties with more votes get more seats, but smaller parties still get a chance.

Out with the old system, in with the new.

Wales will now have 16 constituencies - down from 40 constituencies and 5 regions.

So, who can vote?

If you’re 16 or older and live in Wales — congratulations! You can vote!

Elections will now happen every four years, starting on 7 May 2026.

Note it on your calendar, your phone or tell your dog - they love going to vote!

So that’s the 2026 Senedd election.

Bigger Senedd, one vote, fairer representation, six MSs per area.

Same democracy — but with a new glow.

So… you’ve probably heard of the Senedd. It’s Wales’ parliament, based in Cardiff Bay. Basically where politicians – the ones that you choose - speak up for people in Wales.

First up - laws! And not boring, tiny ones – real-life stuff that affects you.

Take schools for example. The Senedd passed the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act in 2021 which did some of these things:

Introduced a new curriculum in Wales. Introduced skills-based learning. And strengthened Welsh language learning

A real law that you can see in action every day.

Education, the NHS, the environment, culture, and the Welsh language are all devolved areas. Put simply devolved means that the UK Parliament in Westminster isn’t involved.

So, when something is devolved the decisions about it have been handed from Westminster to Wales — so the Senedd can create the laws for it.

But, before you ask, not everything is devolved. Things like… Defence - that funds the army, RAF and the navy. Benefits - that helps people who need financial help. And immigration - controlling who and how many people can come into the UK.

These are still decided by the UK Parliament in Westminster. Not us in Wales.

The Senedd deals with money too. The Senedd decides and approves some Welsh taxes, which stay in Wales to pay for things like schools, teachers, GPs and mental health care. The Senedd also keeps an eye on how the Welsh government spends the money.

So, the Welsh government is doing the spending, and the Senedd is the one saying,
“Okay… show us where the money’s going and why it’s going there.”

And when I say money, I mean around 25 billion pounds a year. Most of that comes from the UK government, but some comes from taxes raised here in Wales. And that money stays in Wales.

The Senedd’s job, among other things, is tackling the long NHS waiting lists, subsidising rail tickets and some bus routes. It's responsible for the money needed to build social housing and it supports the Welsh language through things like the Urdd Eisteddfod.

Small place, big responsibilities.

Now, here’s an important thing that people mix up.

The Welsh government runs the services. But, the Senedd checks they’re not messing it up.

It makes sure that the Welsh government is accountable, so they can’t just do whatever they want — they must be answerable to others.

Members of the Senedd — called MSs — scrutinise the Welsh government’s decisions, they debate what they’re planning, and they vote on new laws.

Working this way ensures that the laws being passed have the best interests of the public - that’s you and me - in mind.

So, that’s what the Senedd does!

Makes laws. Set some taxes. And represents the people of Wales, that’s you and me.