The Welsh Parliament is going through a raft of changes ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. Here’s all you need to know:
Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024
On the 24th of June, the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill gained royal assent and became an act. It contained a series of sweeping reforms to the make-up of the parliament which will come into force at the 2026 elections.
The most notable change is that the Senedd will increase in size from 60 to 96 members and the way we elect these members will change. Currently Senedd members are elected through a constituency ‘First Past the Post’ vote which is then topped up with a more proportionally elected regional list. From 2026, this will be replaced by a purely closed-list system.
This means that each party releases a list of candidates for a constituency. Voters are then able to vote for whichever party they like, and the seats are distributed down the list based on the D’Hondt method.
Whilst this should be more proportional than the current system, it does put too much power in the hands of parties and removes choice from voters. ERS Cymru has long said that the new system should have been the Single Transferable Vote.
In order to facilitate this change, 16 new constituencies will be created, each crafted from a pair of UK parliamentary constituencies. Each of these will elect 6 members to the Senedd.
How these constituencies are made up is down to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru who released their initial proposals at the beginning of September. Over the next few months, they will be consulting the public on these changes before settling on final boundaries at the beginning of next year.
The Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024
The second act to be passed was the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act. This commits to a pilot on Automatic Voter Registration with the aim of bringing it in nationally by the 2026 Senedd elections.
This means that you will no longer have to register to vote at elections because it will happen automatically. Countries like Sweden already have a similar system in place and it has ensured that a significant barrier to voting has been knocked down. Here in Wales, it is estimated to add a whopping 400,000 people to the voting register who are currently missing.
In addition to this, the act also commits to establishing an online voter information platform that will host up-to-date information on elections for voters and candidates.
Finally, the legislation also puts a duty on Welsh Ministers to promote diversity in the Senedd and Welsh local government by providing guidance, information, work experience and advice to parties and individuals.
Why have these changes happened now?
Since its establishment 25 years ago, the Welsh Government’s powers have grown substantially, but the number of members in the Senedd has remained static. At 60 members the Senedd lags behind both the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly which have 129 and 90 members, respectively.
As a result, the roughly 40 members (once ministers, party leaders and the presiding officer have been removed) responsible for scrutinising the government have been left overworked and with little time to properly digest the ever-growing body of legislation.
Increasing the Senedd’s size, therefore, will enhance legislative scrutiny and improve law-making, saving tax-payers money in the long run. Furthermore, given the recent loss of 4 European Parliament members and 8 MPs, these changes are essential for maintaining democratic representation in Wales.
These changes are not just about numbers and changing systems, but about the very essence of democracy in Wales. By increasing the number of members, abandoning First Past the Post and introducing automatic voter registration, the Welsh Parliament is taking bold steps to strengthen its democratic foundations and bring it into the 21st century.
That said, there is room to go further. The voting system can be better, and further steps should be taken to secure diversity and equality.
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