People in Wales will have their personal data better
protected after the Senedd approved regulations on 10 March
abolishing the open electoral register.
The Representation of the People (Removal of the Edited Register)
(Wales) Regulations 2026 will end the practice of
selling voters' details to direct marketing and other commercial
organisations.
Young people and those considered vulnerable are among those who
will benefit most, as they will be better protected from
targeting by harmful organisations.
These changes will take effect after May's Senedd elections on 1
October and will apply to the register used for future local
and Senedd elections.
The change also unlocks the next stage of democratic
reform – as under the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales)
Act 2024, automatic voter registration cannot be rolled out
until the open register is abolished.
Automatic registration – which has already been successfully
piloted in four local authorities in Wales – will make it
easier for everyone in Wales
to participate in elections,
reducing the burden of individual sign-up.
The Senedd also approved separate amendments to
modernise local government election rules ahead of the 2027
elections. These include an exemption for safety-related spending
from campaign finance limits — a recommendation of the Foundation — bringing local government elections in line
with existing rules for Senedd elections.
Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, , said:
“This is a significant step forward for Welsh
democracy. Voters deserve to have their information
protected, not sold on to those who might do them harm.
“Wales is the first part of the UK to take this step
for the local
government register, demonstrating our commitment
to a fairer, more modern electoral system.
“By removing the open register, we are also unlocking the path to
automatic voter registration — making it easier for everyone in
Wales to have their voice
heard in Welsh elections.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
- Further regulations will be brought forward in the seventh
Senedd term to set out how automatic
registration will work in practice.
- An open register would still be in place in Wales for
the parliamentary register, but this would only apply for those
people 18 years of age and over, who had made an
application to register to vote via Individual Electoral
Registration.
