Register to vote

Senedd Election, 7 May 2026

You need to register to vote by Monday 20 April for the Senedd election.

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You must be on the register before you can vote in an election or referendum in the UK.

There is no need to register every year to ensure that your name is on the register.

Every registered person will receive a confirmation request through the post between August and October. You must confirm that the details are correct annually to stay on the register. 

The fact that you pay Council Tax does not mean that your name appears automatically on the register.

If your name is on the register you do not have to vote.

If your name is not on the register it’s possible that you may have problems when making applications for financial services, e.g. opening a bank account, applying for a loan.

 

Register to vote

You can register to vote and update your details on the register by visiting the gov.uk website:

Register to vote (gov.uk website)

More information about registering to vote 

 

Frequently asked questions

The electoral Registration Officer creates and keeps 2 versions of the register: 

  • The full register: The full register shows the names of everyone who can vote. You can check that you are on the register by calling 01766 771000. The full register is used only for elections, preventing and detecting crime and checking applications for credit. 
  • The open register: The register includes the names and addresses of everyone who has not asked to be excluded from that version of the register. There is a question on the registration form asking if you want to be excluded from the register. Anyone can buy a copy of the open register, and it can be used for any purpose, e.g. commercial activities such as marketing.

    As a public authority the Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. We may share information provided to us with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud. Please refer to the full National Fraud Initiative privacy notice for more details. 

I’m a student – where should I register?
Students can register at both their home address and their university address. It is an offence to vote more than once in a national election but you can vote in local elections at both of your addresses, e.g. to choose a local councillor, as long as they are not in the same electoral area.