As Wales goes to the polls today to vote in a new cohort of Senedd Members we tell you all you need to know about how to cast your vote and how the new system of voting works.

If you have registered to vote, you will receive a poll card through the post from your local council which will tell you where your polling station is. Make sure you check your poll card before heading out to vote, in case your polling station has changed since you last voted. You can also find out where your polling station is on the Commission website, by entering your postcode. 

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm. You can vote at any time within this window and anyone in a queue at 10pm will be able to cast their vote. And don’t forget, you need to go to your designated polling station; you can’t go to a different one, for example, near where you work.

Wales has been divided into 16 new constituencies for this election. You can find your constituency on the Senedd’s website.

You don’t need to bring anything with you to vote at the Senedd election and you do not need to show photo ID.

You can bring your poll card with you on the day, but this isn’t necessary. You can also bring your own pen or pencil if you prefer, but there will be pencils at the polling station as well.

Take your time: read the ballot paper carefully and complete it according to the instructions.

You will have receive one ballot paper and have one vote to choose a political party or independent candidate. Only put one cross (X) on the ballot paper. If you put a cross (X) next to more than one box, your vote will be considered a ‘spoilt ballot’ and will not be counted.

The ballot paper will show a list of candidates for each political party and any independent candidates. The parties choose the order that candidates appear on their list. The lists are ‘closed’ – this means that voters cannot change the order of those candidates. The people at the top of the list are elected first.

If you make a mistake, don't worry – as long as you haven't already put it in the ballot box, just let the polling station staff know and they can give you a replacement ballot paper.

The system used to allocate seats in the Senedd is the same system that was used to allocate regional seats at previous Senedd and Welsh Assembly elections. The more votes a political party gets, the more seats they will win. For example, if a political party wins three seats, the top three people on their list will be elected to those seats. 96 Members of the Senedd will be elected in total.

If you're not sure what to do, or need any help, just ask the staff at the polling station – they will be happy to assist you.

Disabled voters can choose anyone who is aged 16 or over to accompany them in the polling station to help them vote.

If you can't fill in the ballot paper yourself, you can ask the presiding officer – the person in charge of the polling station - to mark the ballot paper for you, or you can take someone along with you to help you.

Returning Officers must provide each polling station with a range of equipment as is reasonable to enable or make it easier for disabled voters to vote independently and in secret.

If you have any questions about what will be available at the polling station, you can contact your local council.

If you are away for work or if you have a medical emergency, you can apply for an emergency proxy vote up until 5pm on polling day.

Your vote is yours and yours alone: you do not need to tell anyone how you voted.

Exit polls are sometimes conducted, where people – usually private companies working for newspapers or broadcasters – ask voters leaving the polling station who they voted for to help them predict what the outcome might be. You do not need to respond to their questions if you don’t want to.

Political discussion is not allowed inside and immediately around the polling station and staff will ask you to stop so that there’s no risk of influencing other voters. If you want to debate your vote with friends or family, do it away from the polling station.

You might see people outside the polling station who ask you for the number on your poll card. These people are called 'tellers’ and are volunteering on behalf of candidates or parties. They will use the information you give them to check who has voted, and to remind people who haven't yet voted, to do so.

They are allowed to be there and to ask for the information, but you don't have to give them any information if you don't want to. If you are concerned about the conduct of a teller, speak to a member of staff at the polling station.

You shouldn’t take photos inside the polling station as it might put the secrecy of the ballot at risk. You are more than welcome to take photos outside the polling station and share them on social media to encourage your friends and family to vote.

You can go to the polling station with whomever you like, but only those registered to vote at the station, companions of disabled voters and individuals handing in postal votes will be able to go inside. You must not be accompanied into the polling booth by another adult, unless you need assistance completing the ballot paper, in which case you can take someone in to help you, or you can ask one of the polling station staff for their help.

Children are welcome at polling stations. While your child must not mark the ballot paper for you, you will be allowed to take them into the polling booth with you.

Except for assistance dogs, animals are not usually allowed inside polling stations, so will need to be secured outside if you do decide to take them with you.

You can hand in your own postal vote and the postal votes of other people at a polling station until 10pm on polling day. You can also hand in postal votes to council offices during opening hours.