Independent review backs introduction of automatic voter registration in Wales

An independent review has backed plans to introduce automatic voter registration in Wales after pilot schemes across the country successfully added thousands of people to the electoral register.

An evaluation published on Wednesday by the Electoral Commission found that trial projects run earlier this year automatically registered more than 16,000 new voters, helping to widen democratic participation and improve access to the voting system.

Wales became the first devolved nation in the UK to test automatic voter registration, working with four local authorities – Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd, Newport and Powys.

The pilots explored whether data already held by councils could be used to register eligible voters without requiring individuals to submit an application.

According to the Electoral Commission’s findings, just over 14,500 new voters were added to the registers through the pilots, accounting for between two and eight per cent of the electorate in each participating area. A further 1,500 young people aged 14 and 15 were also registered as “attainers” in Gwynedd and Powys, representing up to 37 per cent of those eligible in those areas.

The results have been welcomed by the Welsh Government, which says the scheme could make democracy more inclusive, particularly for groups traditionally under-represented on the electoral roll.

Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government Jayne Bryant said the evaluation showed clear potential benefits. She said the pilots demonstrated how automatic registration could help ensure more people are able to take part in elections, especially young people.

She added that the government would now consider the Electoral Commission’s recommendations carefully before deciding whether to roll the system out more widely across Wales, thanking the four councils involved for their work on the trials.

Powys County Council, one of the participating authorities, said the pilots had shown clear advantages locally. Councillor Richard Church, cabinet member for legal and regulatory services, said the trial helped ensure more residents – particularly young people – were represented on the register and able to have their voices heard.

The Electoral Commission’s report stops short of recommending immediate full implementation. Instead, it calls on the Welsh Government to carry out further assessments, including checking data accuracy through the annual canvass, considering the staffing and resource implications for electoral registration officers, and weighing up the overall costs against the likely benefits.

The Commission also recommends considering how any Welsh system could be integrated with a future UK-wide approach to automatic registration.

Automatic voter registration will not be in place for the next Senedd election on 7 May 2026. Voters who are not registered, or who have recently moved home or changed their name, are still required to register manually by midnight on 20 April 2026.