How does the new Senedd voting system work?

Since the 2026 election the Senedd has 96 Members elected from 16 constituencies, each returning six Members by a closed proportional list system: voters choose a party or an independent candidate, not individual candidates on a list. The constituencies pair the 32 UK Parliament seats in Wales, replacing the old 40 constituencies and five regions, according to the Senedd's reform FAQs. Elections are now every four years.

Turnout at the election on 7 May 2026 was 51.6%, the highest at any Senedd election, according to Senedd Research's analysis, which has seats and votes by party and constituency to download.

Because the system changed, seat and vote shares cannot be compared directly with 2021.

Official sources: Senedd: election and Member changes FAQs · Senedd Research: initial analysis of the 2026 results

Terms used in this answer

• First past the post
  The voting system used for UK general elections: each constituency elects one MP, and the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.

Related questions

• Where can I find official UK election results?
• How do Scottish Parliament elections work?
• How do Northern Ireland Assembly elections work?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about wales: official figures: all Wales: official figures questions.