Welsh Ministers have made the Welsh Elections Information Platform (Amendments) Regulations 2026, updating the 2025 platform rules so they reference the remade Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025 and bring terminology for Senedd candidates into line with that framework. The platform regime itself is established by the 2025 Regulations. (gov.wales)
Under the 2025 Regulations, the platform is operated by the Electoral Management Board within the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru. DBCC indicates the public site will be live by March 2026 for use at the Senedd general election on 7 May 2026. (legislation.gov.uk)
The amending instrument revises regulation 6(1) so the platform’s mandatory content points to the Senedd election rules in Schedule 5 to the 2025 Conduct Order. In particular, the notice of election is tied to rule 3; the statement of parties and persons nominated to rule 17; the notice of poll to rule 31; postal voting information about accessible formats to rule 32(2); and a reference is made to rule 62. These updates replace older references to an order under section 13 of the Government of Wales Act 2006. (legislation.gov.uk)
Operationally, returning officers should expect the platform to publish official notices and statements as they are produced under the 2025 Conduct Order. The publication pipeline, search-by-postcode function and accessibility expectations are set in the 2025 Regulations, and the Electoral Management Board must issue guidance covering formats and submission routes for materials. (legislation.gov.uk)
Definitions are aligned. The term “election address” now explicitly tracks article 67 of the 2025 Conduct Order, which sets the right to send up to two freepost election communications. A new term, “individual candidate”, is introduced to distinguish constituency candidates from party list candidates, reflecting usage across the 2025 Conduct Order. (legislation.gov.uk)
For principal council elections, the amendments remove the prescriptive font-style requirement in regulation 11(1)(b). The 2025 Regulations previously required Times New Roman; with that condition omitted, platform templates and local guidance for future ordinary elections should be updated. (legislation.gov.uk)
Candidates and parties preparing for May 2026 should treat the platform “election address” as the digital counterpart to one of the freepost communications and manage content approvals accordingly. The Electoral Commission’s guidance is consistent with article 67’s freepost provisions. (electoralcommission.org.uk)
Scope remains unchanged from 2025: the platform regime applies to Senedd polls held after 6 April 2026, which includes the election due on 7 May 2026; it does not apply to ordinary principal council elections held on or before 5 May 2027. (legislation.gov.uk)
Next steps for administrators are to map each statutory notice to the correct 2025 Conduct Order rule when supplying material to the platform, ensure that information for postal voters on how to obtain accessible formats can be surfaced online, and follow forthcoming EMB guidance. DBCC plans to have the site available by March, leaving a tight operational window before poll. (legislation.gov.uk)
These updates follow the consolidation of Senedd election law and the redesign of the electoral system for 2026, including the move to 16 constituencies electing 96 Members on closed lists. Aligning the platform rules with the 2025 Conduct Order reduces ambiguity for administrators ahead of first implementation. (legislation.gov.uk)