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Wales becomes the first UK nation to introduce Automatic Voter Registration
The Welsh Government laid new regulations to introduce Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) across all 22 Welsh local authorities ahead of the 2027 local elections. This marks a significant moment for Welsh democracy, making Wales the first part of the UK to formally introduce AVR.
The move follows successful pilots in four local authority areas during 2025, which saw thousands of eligible voters added to the electoral register. The pilots allowed local authorities to use existing public data, including council tax and education records, to identify and register eligible voters without requiring individual applications. This resulted in over 14,500 eligible voters added to the register.
**Automatic voter registration makes voting simpler and fairer**
ERS Cymru has long argued that AVR is necessary. It makes registering to vote simpler and could help remove barriers that prevent thousands of people from taking part in democracy.
We know there are significant inequalities in electoral registration, with some groups far less likely to be registered than others. According to the Electoral Commission 400,000 people in Wales are either incorrectly registered or missing entirely from the registered, with only 43% of 16–17-year-olds registered, compared to 95% of those over 65.
**Rolling out Automatic Voter Registration to the whole UK**
With this change Wales is setting out its stall for being ahead of the curve when it comes to UK democracy. The hope is that other UK nations will follow. The Representation of the People Bill, currently progressing through the UK Parliament, includes provisions to automate registration. Having this place at a UK level could ensure that between 7 and 8 million people are added to the register.
#inspiration
The Welsh Government laid new regulations to introduce Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) across all 22 Welsh local authorities ahead of the 2027 local elections. This marks a significant moment for Welsh democracy, making Wales the first part of the UK to formally introduce AVR.
The move follows successful pilots in four local authority areas during 2025, which saw thousands of eligible voters added to the electoral register. The pilots allowed local authorities to use existing public data, including council tax and education records, to identify and register eligible voters without requiring individual applications. This resulted in over 14,500 eligible voters added to the register.
**Automatic voter registration makes voting simpler and fairer**
ERS Cymru has long argued that AVR is necessary. It makes registering to vote simpler and could help remove barriers that prevent thousands of people from taking part in democracy.
We know there are significant inequalities in electoral registration, with some groups far less likely to be registered than others. According to the Electoral Commission 400,000 people in Wales are either incorrectly registered or missing entirely from the registered, with only 43% of 16–17-year-olds registered, compared to 95% of those over 65.
**Rolling out Automatic Voter Registration to the whole UK**
With this change Wales is setting out its stall for being ahead of the curve when it comes to UK democracy. The hope is that other UK nations will follow. The Representation of the People Bill, currently progressing through the UK Parliament, includes provisions to automate registration. Having this place at a UK level could ensure that between 7 and 8 million people are added to the register.
#inspiration
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