Overview of the Act
2.The Act provides for measures relating to coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to apply to Senedd Cymru elections and Welsh local government by-elections due to take place in 2021.
3.The measures include—
power to postpone the 2021 Senedd Cymru general election (due to take place on 6 May 2021) for up to 6 months (section 6);
power to provide for additional polling days for that election (section 7);
power to postpone Senedd Cymru by-elections due to be held after 6 May 2021 (section 10);
power to postpone Welsh local government by-elections due to be held after 6 May 2021 (section 11).
4.The powers conferred by the Act do not allow an election to be postponed to a date after 5 November 2021.
5.The Act requires guidance to be issued:
to members of the Welsh Government about the exercise of functions in the period before the Senedd Cymru general election (section 4), and
about election campaigning in the elections covered by the Act (section 9).
6.The Act also changes the Senedd Cymru scrutiny procedures that apply to any orders and rules made by the Welsh Ministers that include provisions on the conduct of elections which apply only to Senedd Cymru elections and Welsh local government by-elections held before 6 November 2021 (section 12).
