WALES is set to become the first devolved nation in Britain to trial automatic voter registration, using local data to identify and enrol potential electors without formal applications. 

The pilots, launched under the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024, aim to remove barriers to democratic participation and ensure a more inclusive electoral process. 

Four local authorities — Carmarthenshire, Powys, Gwynedd and Newport — will test varying approaches to registering voters for the local government electoral roll, which is also used for Senedd elections.