Senedd Election voter registration deadline fast approaching

With little over three weeks to go until Wales hits the polls, the deadline to register to vote is also fast approaching.

Voters have until Monday, April 19 to register to vote in the upcoming Senedd Elections, which will be held on Thursday, May 6.

For the first time since devolution, 16 and 17-year-olds will be among those able to vote.

Around 65,000 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to cast their votes after the Senedd and Elections Act was passed by the Senedd early last year.

The new law sees Wales follow Scotland in extending the franchise. Around 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds voted in the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014.

The right to vote has also been extended to foreign nationals who are legal residents in Wales.

Voters will be able to vote by post or in person at the polling station.

Meanwhile, parties have confirmed which candidates will be standing for election in May.

Candidates standing in the Caerphilly, Islwyn, and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituencies have all been confirmed, as have the candidates standing on the South Wales East regional lists.

How can I register?

Anybody over the age of 14 can register to vote in Wales, providing they are a British or Irish citizen, or a foreign national living legally in Wales.

Registering usually takes around five minutes and can be done at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Anyone aged 16 or above on May 6, and is a legal resident in Wales, will be able to vote in this year’s Senedd Elections, providing they have registered to vote.