Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024

Welsh elections information platform

26 Welsh elections information platform

(1) The Welsh Ministers must by regulations provide for the establishment and operation of a Welsh elections information platform.

(2) A Welsh elections information platform is an electronic facility (such as a website, part of a website or a software application) to provide electors with up-to-date information, or access to up-to-date information from other electronic sources, about specified elections.

(3) For the purpose of subsection (2), regulations under subsection (1)—

(a) must specify—

(i) elections to Senedd Cymru;

(ii) ordinary elections to principal councils in Wales;

(b) may specify other local government elections in Wales.

(4) Regulations under subsection (1) may (among other things) make provision—

(a) conferring functions on persons or categories of person specified in the regulations;

(b) about the publication of information on the platform, including—

(i) the publication of candidate statements and other information about candidates and registered political parties;

(ii) information about accessibility arrangements that are in place at polling stations;

(c) conferring exemption from civil and criminal liability in connection with the publication of candidate statements and other‍ information about candidates and registered political parties;

(d) making the information on the platform available other than by electronic means.

(5) Regulations under subsection (1) must require—

(a) a report to be published about the exercise of functions conferred by the regulations—

(i) in the case of functions exercised in respect of Senedd Cymru elections, before the end of a period of 12 months beginning with the day of the poll for that election;

(ii) in the case of functions exercised in respect of ordinary elections of principal councils, before the end of a period of 12 months beginning with the day of the poll for those elections;

(b) the reports to be laid before Senedd Cymru.

(6) The power to make regulations under this section is exercisable by statutory instrument.

(7) A statutory instrument containing provision in regulations of the kind described in subsection (4)(c) may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of Senedd Cymru.

(8) A statutory instrument containing any other provision in regulations under this section is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of Senedd Cymru.

(9) In this section—

• “local government elections” (“etholiadau llywodraeth leol”) means elections of—

  (a)

  councillors for an electoral ward of a county or county borough,

  (b)

  councillors for a community ward or, in the case of a community where there are no wards, for the community, or

  (c)

  an elected mayor or elected executive member under regulations made by virtue of section 44 of the Local Government Act 2000 (c. 22);

• “specified” (“penodedig” ac “a bennir”) means specified in regulations under subsection (1).