AN EASY
READ GUIDE
TO VOTING
IN THE
NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY
ELECTION
The National Assembly for Wales is
the democratically elected body that
represents the interests of Wales and its
people, makes laws for Wales and holds
the Welsh Government to account.
CONTACT US
q 0300 200 6565
E [email protected]
 www.2016.wales
a @AssemblyWales
b /NationalAssemblyforWales
© National Assembly for Wales Commission Copyright 2016
The text of this document may be reproduced free of charge in any
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How to use this document
This is an Easy Read version. The words and their
meaning are easy to read and understand.
You may need support to read and understand this
document. Ask someone you know to help you.
Some words may be difficult to understand. These
are in bold blue writing and have been explained in
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If any of the words are used later in the guide they
are shown in normal blue writing. If you see words
in normal blue writing you can look up what they
mean in Hard words on page 19.
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Phone: 0300 200 6565
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Website: www.2016.wales
This document was made into Easy Read by
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Page 2
Contents
Page
What is the National Assembly for Wales?....................................................4
▪
Assembly Members.........................................................................................4
▪
National Assembly for Wales election........................................................6
What is the Welsh Government?........................................................................7
▪
Devolution.......................................................................................................10
What is voting?.....................................................................................................11
Am I registered to vote?....................................................................................12
How to register to vote.......................................................................................13
How to vote............................................................................................................14
Choosing who you want to represent you in the National Assembly....15
▪
Who is my Assembly Member at the moment?......................................16
Subject areas.........................................................................................................17
Hard words.............................................................................................................19
Page 3
What is the National Assembly
for Wales?
Assembly Members
The National Assembly for Wales is a group of 60
people from different parts of Wales.
These people are called Assembly Members.
The job of an Assembly Member is to speak up
for the people in their part of Wales, and where
they can, help them with what they need. They:
Page 4
▪▪
stand up for what is important to the
people of Wales
▪▪
look at new laws for Wales and vote on if
they should be passed
▪▪
make sure the Welsh Government is doing
what it should do.
Assembly Members do their work in:
▪▪
an office in their own area. You can visit them at
their office and tell them about issues that are
important to you
▪▪
meetings
▪▪
a building in Cardiff called the Senedd.
The Senedd is where all Assembly Members
come together to talk about the issues that
are important to Wales.
Assembly Members are usually part of a political
party.
Some Assembly Members are Independent
Assembly Members.
Independent Assembly Members represent
themselves and are not part of a political party.
Page 5
The National Assembly for Wales has its own
television channel on the internet, where you can
watch Assembly Members do their work.
The address is www.senedd.tv
You can also follow the National Assembly for
Wales on Twitter.
The address is https://twitter.com/AssemblyWales
National Assembly for Wales
election
Every 5 years there is an election for the National
Assembly for Wales.
At the election you get to choose the Assembly
Members for your area.
The next election is on Thursday 5 May 2016.
Page 6
What is the Welsh Government?
After the National Assembly for Wales election,
the party that has a majority gets to form a
government.
A majority is when more than half of the elected
Assembly Members are from one party.
There are 60 Assembly Members in the National
Assembly for Wales. So to have a majority a party
needs to get at least 31 Assembly Members elected.
If no party has a majority, a coalition government
is usually formed.
A coalition government is when two or more
parties work together to run the country.
Page 7
The Welsh Government:
▪▪
makes big decisions about Wales
▪▪
suggests what new laws it thinks Wales needs
▪▪
creates policy
Policy is a set of plans or actions agreed on by
the Welsh Government.
▪▪
spends money on things like hospitals, schools,
and roads in Wales.
The Welsh Government is led by the First Minister.
The First Minister is the leader of the Welsh
Government, and is usually the leader of the
party who won the most votes in the National
Assembly for Wales election.
Page 8
The First Minister chooses Ministers and Deputy
Ministers. These are people from their party who are
in charge of looking after different subject areas.
There are 21 subject areas including:
▪▪
education
▪▪
health services – for example, ambulance service
and hospitals
▪▪
roads and transport.
Page 9
Devolution
The Welsh Government and the National Assembly
for Wales are responsible for 21 subject areas that
have been devolved to Wales. A full list of the areas
is on page 19.
Devolved / devolution. This means that the
UK Parliament has agreed that the National
Assembly for Wales can make its own decisions
about 21 important areas – like health, and
education.
The UK Parliament still makes decisions about some
things that affect people living in Wales, like:
Page 10
▪▪
policing
▪▪
benefits
▪▪
the Armed Forces.
What is voting?
Voting gives you a say in things that affect your life.
Things like:
▪▪
schools and colleges
▪▪
housing
▪▪
health services – for example, ambulance service
and hospitals.
Voting allows you to choose the people who will
make decisions about these things.
You have the same rights as everybody else. If you
are over 18 you can vote.
But first, you need to find out if you are registered
to vote. It is important that you register to vote.
You cannot vote unless you are registered.
Page 11
Am I registered to vote?
You can find out if you are registered to vote by
contacting your local Electoral Registration Office.
You can find your local office at:
http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
If you are not registered to vote, go to page 13.
If you are registered to vote, go to page 14.
Page 12
How to register to vote
Before you can vote in an election you need to
register to vote.
You need to be 18 years old or more to vote. But
you can register from the age of 16.
You can register to vote by filling in a form online at:
http://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
If you need more help with registering to vote, the
Electoral Commission has some Easy Read guides
on their website:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/
accessibility/alternative-formats/easy-read
Remember:
You must register to vote before midnight on
Monday 18 April 2016.
If you do not register before midnight on Monday
18 April 2016, you will not be able to vote in the
National Assembly for Wales election on 5 May
2016.
Page 13
How to vote
Remember – you need to register to vote first
before you can vote in the National Assembly for
Wales election.
If you are not sure if you are registered, go to
page 12.
To find out how to register to vote, go to page 13.
There are 3 different ways that you can vote:
1.Voting at a polling station.
2.Voting by post.
3.Voting by proxy.
Voting by proxy is when you ask someone you
trust to vote for you.
The Electoral Commission has some Easy Read
guides about how to vote on their website:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/
accessibility/alternative-formats/easy-read
Page 14
Choosing who you want to represent
you in the National Assembly
On 5 May 2016 you can vote for who you want to
represent you in the National Assembly for Wales.
You can find out more about the National Assembly
for Wales on page 4.
You need to vote for:
1.Your Constituency Assembly Member
This is the person you want to represent your
constituency in the National Assembly for Wales.
Constituency
Your consitituency is your local area. For example,
Caerphilly is a constituency in south Wales and
Wrexham is a constituency in north Wales.
2.Your Regional Assembly Members
These are the people you want to represent
the region of Wales you live in, in the National
Assembly for Wales.
Region
There are 5 regions in Wales: North Wales,
Mid and West Wales, South Wales West,
South Wales Central, or South Wales East.
In this vote you will vote for the party that you
want to represent the region rather than a person.
Page 15
Who is my Assembly Member at the
moment?
Every person in Wales is represented by 5 Assembly
Members in total:
Page 16
▪▪
1 Assembly Member for your constituency (the
local area in which you live), and
▪▪
4 Assembly Members who represent your region
(either North Wales, Mid and West Wales,
South Wales West, South Wales Central or
South Wales East).
Subject areas
Assembly Members make decisions about
21 subject areas. These are:
1. Agriculture, Forestry, Animals, Plants and
Rural Development
2. Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings
3. Culture
4. Economic Development
5. Education and Training
6. Environment
7. Fire and Rescue Services and Fire Safety
8. Food
9. Health and Health Services
10. Highways and Transport
Page 17
11. Housing
12. Local Government
13. National Assembly for Wales
14. Public Administration
15. Social Welfare
16. Sport and Recreation
17. Devolved taxes
18. Tourism
19. Town and Country Planning
20. Water and Flood Defence
21. Welsh Language
Page 18
Hard words
Assembly Members
The job of an Assembly Member is to speak up for the people in their part
of Wales, and where they can, help them with what they need. They:
▪▪
stand up for what is important to the people of Wales
▪▪
look at new laws for Wales and vote on if they should be passed
▪▪
make sure the Welsh Government is doing what it should do.
Coalition government
A coalition government is when two or more parties work together to
run the country.
Constituency
Your Constituency is your local area. For example, Caerphilly is a
constituency in south Wales and Wrexham is a constituency in north
Wales
Constituency Assembly Member
This is the person you want to represent your constituency in the
National Assembly for Wales.
Devolved / devolution
This means that the UK Parliament has agreed that the National
Assembly for Wales can make its own decisions about 21 important
areas – like health, and education.
First Minister
The First Minister is the leader of the Welsh Government, and is usually
the leader of the party who won the most votes in the National
Assembly for Wales election.
Page 19
Independent Assembly Members
Independent Assembly Members represent themselves and are not part
of a political party.
Majority
A majority is when more than half of the elected Assembly Members are
from one party.
Policy
Policy is a set of plans or actions agreed on by the Welsh Government.
Region
There are 5 regions in Wales: North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South
Wales West, South Wales Central or South Wales East.
Regional Assembly Members
These are the people you want to represent the region of Wales you live
in, in the National Assembly for Wales.
Senedd
The Senedd is where all Assembly Members come together to talk about
the issues that are important to Wales.
Voting by proxy
Voting by proxy is when you ask someone you trust to vote for you.
Page 20