Introduce the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) for future Senedd Elections
Open for signatures until 27 November 2026.
45 signatures
- More than 250 signatures: considered by the Petitions CommitteeNot reached
- More than 10,000 signatures: considered for a debate in the SeneddNot reached
In the 2026 Senedd Election, a Closed Lists voting system was introduced to elect 96 members to the newly expanded Senedd. This system, however, demonstrated some significant weaknesses, as voters could only vote for political parties and independent candidates, whilst the decision on who was elected to the Senedd ultimately rested with the parties themselves
We, therefore, call on the Welsh Government to begin the work to introduce STV for future Senedd Elections
More details
Proportional representation in national elections is important, and it's certainly commendable that this was the aim with Senedd reforms from the beginning
Whilst the Closed Lists system that was implemented did meet this aim, it also introduced problems, such as weakening the connection between voters and their representatives and the perception that candidates were rewarded for party loyalty over their ability to represent their constituents
STV, on the other hand, would also have met the aims of making Senedd elections more proportional without introducing the same problems as observed from the introduction of Closed Lists, with the additional benefit that voters can rank as many candidates as they wish, meaning they wouldn't have to vote along party lines
The system is already successfully used in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it is popular amongst the electorate, as evidenced by the public consultation on Senedd reforms, to ensure proportionality and accountability
Signatures by constituency
The Senedd's petitions website lists 38 of the 45 signatures under a Senedd constituency.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd | 6 |
| Ceredigion Penfro | 5 |
| Bangor Conwy Môn | 4 |
| Gwynedd Maldwyn | 4 |
| Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr | 4 |
| Caerdydd Penarth | 3 |