Setting a date

Your event can take place any time between now and polling day.

Ultimately the date will depend on a number of factors including the availability of candidates. It is always worth contacting the candidates as early as possible to begin discussing dates.

In particular, please note that due to the potential need to consider and monitor emergency Covid-19 legislation, the Senedd will be dissolved only seven days prior to polling day (i.e. on 29 April). This means that candidates who are a sitting MS will be juggling campaigning with any parliamentary responsibilities related to Covid-19 issues. (All other normal parliamentary activity should finish by the end of March).

Legislation has been passed to enable these elections to be postponed by up to six months if the pandemic necessitates. It is better, however, to start organising now and have to postpone the date than to wait and see and then find that you do not have sufficient time to organise an event properly.

We are expecting that many more people will apply for a postal vote this year, which will avoid in-person voting in a polling place/polling station. Postal votes are usually sent to voters who request them around two weeks before polling day. Many people complete their postal ballot as soon as it arrives.

For these reasons, our recommendation is that you aim to hold your event in the week beginning Monday 19 April, or earlier.

Experience from previous years shows that candidates often respond positively to invitations to in-person meetings held on Sunday evenings. With meetings largely being held virtually this year, there might be more willingness to try other evenings.