Elections in Wales


has elections to three tiers of government: 22 unitary local authorities, the Welsh Parliament, and the United Kingdom Parliament.

Local government

There are elections to 22 unitary authorities across Wales every four years, most recently on 4 May 2017. The electoral system currently used is First Past The Post. Key unitary authorities are Cardiff, Newport and Swansea councils, which all lie in the southern coastal belt.
On 6 May 2021 the first election to the newly titled Welsh Parliament will take place akin to the previous elections to the National Assembly.

2021

It will be the sixth general election since the establishment of the institution in 1999. It will be held along with the other 2021 United Kingdom local elections, and will be the first election in which 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote in Wales, which is the largest extension of the franchise in Wales since 1969. Both changes were a result of the Senedd and Elections Bill 2019.

National Assembly for Wales

Elections to the National Assembly for Wales existed from 1999 until 2016, after Welsh voters narrowly approved it in the 1997 devolution referendum. It is now known as the Senedd and is based in Cardiff Bay, and there are elections every five years for 60 Members of the Senedd. Voters have two votes: 40 MSs are elected by the First Past the Post system in individual constituencies, and a further 20 MSs are elected by the Regional Top-Up system in which voters vote by region. The regions are South Wales East, South Wales Central, South Wales West, Mid and West Wales and North Wales. Each region elects four MSs, to achieve approximately proportional representation overall.

2016


Overall turnout: 45.3%

2007

Overall turnout: 43.7%

1999

Overall turnout: 46%

2011

Overall turnout: 42.2%

2003


Overall turnout: 38.2%

Past elections and referendums

UK Parliament

Wales has been eligible to send MPs to Westminster since the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Between then and 1885, most constituencies were categorised as county or borough constituencies; each sent one MP to Westminster. As the Industrial Revolution took hold there were many calls for reform. Parliament eventually allowed the new towns to vote, and this introduced the first Labour MPs. The first leader of the Labour Party in Parliament, Keir Hardie, was one of the two MPs for Merthyr Tydfil. The following table shows the composition of Wales' Westminster MPs since 1885.
YearConservativeLabourLiberal Democrat/
Liberal		Plaid CymruIndependentLiberal UnionistIndependent LabourOthers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18854-29----1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18866-26--1-1
18923-30----1
18958-24--1-1
19006126--1-1
1906-128---1-
Jan 19102527-----
Dec 19103626---1-
191841019----20
19226182---19
192341911----2
192491611-----
192912510-----
19316155---19
19356188----4
19453257----1
19503275----1
19515273----1
19555273----1
19596272----1
19646282-----
19663321-----
19707271---1-
Feb 197482422----
Oct 197482323----
1979112212----
1983142022----
198782433----
199262714----
1997-3424----
2001-3424----
2005329431---
201082633----
2015112513----
2017828-4----
20191422-4----

Detailed breakdowns

2019

2005

2001

European Parliament

Wales was a constituency in European Parliament elections. Following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union on 31 January 2020, Wales no longer elects representatives to the European Parliament.

2019

2019 opinion polls

2014

2009

2004

1999

1994

1989

1984

1979