Who can vote in an election depends on what type of election it is.

For General Elections (i.e. voting for your Member of Parliament) and Police and Crime Commissioner Elections, you must:

• be at least 18 on the day of the election
• be registered to vote
• be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
• be living in the UK, or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
• not be legally excluded from voting (i.e. prisoners)

In Welsh Parliament Elections (Senedd) and Local Elections (Council Elections), you must:

• be 16 or over on the day of the election
• be registered to vote
• live in Wales for Senedd Elections, or live in the area you want to vote in (i.e. Wrexham) for Local Elections
• not be legally excluded from voting

For all types of election, you must be registered to be able to vote. In Wales, you can do this from the age of 14. You’ll be asked for your National Insurance number, but you can still register if you don’t have one. You only need to register to vote if you have never registered before, if you’ve recently moved house, or have changed your legal name.

You can register to vote here:

Back to ‘Voting’

Next: ‘Why Should I Vote?’

KEY TERMS

• Election: an election is when a vote is held and the public can vote for candidates.
• General Election: A UK Election for Members of Parliament.
• Register to vote: being registered to vote means you are on the Electoral Register and you are allowed to vote in elections that you are eligible for.
• Senedd Election: A Welsh Election for Members of the Senedd.
• Local Election: An election that takes place in your local area to vote for councillors.
• A National Insurance Number: is used to identify your tax and National Insurance contributions and you will be asked for it when you register to vote. You usually receive this on a letter in the post before your 16^th birthday, but if you can’t find the letter, you may be able to find it on any pay slips, P60s or P45s you have received. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, you can still register without it.