Selection of Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Candidates for Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
Dear member,
You are invited to participate in the selection of prospective Welsh Liberal Democrat candidates for the 2026 Senedd elections in the new constituency of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
There are four candidates for selection (in alphabetical order):
The candidates have prepared manifestos, which can be viewed by clicking on their names above. You can find more details below about Husting meetings, eligibility to vote, and how to vote as well as a copy of the Selection Rules.
The 2026 Senedd elections
Next year’s elections to the Senedd will use a new voting system with new constituencies. The current mixed system of single-member constituencies electing one Senedd Member using First Past the Post and regions electing multiple Senedd Members on party list will be replaced by multi-member constituencies, each electing 6 Senedd Members on a closed party list.
Voters will vote for one party and the Senedd Members will be elected in proportion to the number of votes cast for each party. Party candidates will be elected in the order in which they appear on the party list – as a closed list voters will not be able to indicate a preference for any individual candidate.
The new Senedd constituencies are composed of two Westminster constituencies combined. In our case, the Westminster constituencies of Ceredigion Preseli and Mid & South Pembrokeshire have been combined in the Senedd constituency of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire (Ceredigion Penfro). With the threshold for electing a Senedd Member estimated to be around 14% of the vote, there is an excellent opportunity to elect at least one Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member in this constituency.
We therefore need to select up to six prospective candidates for Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and to determine their order on the list.
Hustings
Three Hustings meetings have been organised at which you will be able to hear each of the candidates speak and to ask them questions. Two of the meetings will be hybrid and will also be available for you to join online. The dates, times and locations of the Hustings are:
Saturday 15 March, 11am: Neuadd Goffa, Penparcau, Aberystwyth, SY23 1RZ (In person only)
Saturday 15 March, 2.30pm: Radley Room, Guildhall, Cardigan, SA43 1JL (Hybrid)
- Also online on Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81178291676
Tuesday 18 March, 7pm: Mariners' Hotel, Mariners Square, Haverfordwest, SA61 2DU (Hybrid)
- Also online on Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84692503237?pwd=vSIh39VESLssVGSyynj9cRiZsqCXvO.1 (Passcode 051940)
Hustings meetings will be no more than 90 minutes in length.
Eligibility to Vote
In order to vote in this selection you must have joined the Liberal Democrats before 17 January 2025 and be up to date with your membership subscription. If your membership has lapsed within the previous three months you will be entitled to attend a Hustings meeting, but in order to vote you must pay your overdue subscription and notify the Returning Officer that you have done so by Monday 17 March.
How to Vote
If you have received this mailing by e-mail you will receive a link to an electronic ballot by e-mail on or shortly after 19 March. You must cast your vote by 12 noon on Friday 4 April.
You may alternatively request to vote by post. To request a postal vote you must return this downloadable application form to the Returning Officer before 19 March. Postal ballot papers will be sent after this date and must be returned to the Returning Office by 12 noon on Friday 4 April to be counted.
If you have received this mailing by post it means that we either do not have an e-mail address for you or you have instructed us not to contact you by e-mail. In either case you will need to request a postal ballot paper in order to vote in this selection.
The selection process uses the Single Transferable Vote. You will be instructed to rank candidates from 1 to 4 on the ballot paper. In order to be selected for the list a candidate must meet a threshold which in this case is 14.1% of the valid votes. If a candidate passes the threshold on first preference votes they will be selected. If any candidate does not pass the threshold on first preference votes, the surplus votes of the leading candidate above the threshold will be redistributed according to their second preferences. This process will continue until all candidates have passed the threshold or all preferences have been exhausted. The candidates will appear on the list at the Senedd election in the order in which they exceeded the threshold for selection.
Campaigning by Candidates
In addition to the attached manifestos, the candidates may also choose to contact you to encourage you to vote for them. Campaigning by candidates must comply with the Selection Rules. You may receive up to two mass e-mails from a candidate during the campaign (or the same material by post or hand if we do not have your e-mail). Candidates are not permitted to e-mail or text you individually unless you have already contacted them about the election. However, they may phone you if the party has your phone number and permission to call.
Selection Rules
Best regards,
Michael Woods
On behalf of the Selection Committee