2026 Senedd election: Video playlist

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.