The innovative new website, dubbed ‘Horse Race Politics‘, brings the excitement of fantasy sports to the world of Welsh politics, offering a fresh way for voters to engage with the upcoming vote.
As Wales prepares for a massive shake-up of its political landscape in May 2026, the bilingual platform invites users to join a forecasting league and compete for trophies. This follows the chancellor and first minister’s meeting with communities facing change across the region.
Participants can predict party seat shares, potential coalitions, and overall election outcomes, all while tracking their performance against other armchair analysts.
The free-to-play platform is open to everyone and uses crowd-sourced predictions to provide a real-time look at how the election is shaping up as events unfold.
The 2026 election on May 7 is set to be the biggest change to the Senedd in 25 years, with a new voting system and the number of Members increasing from 60 to 96. This major shift has already prompted calls from Llanelli politicians and others for alternative proposals to protect local interests.
Professor Matt Wall, co-founder of Horse Race Politics, has described the upcoming vote as the “most politically significant of the devolution era.” It comes at a time when Welsh Government demands for urgent UK action are intensifying.
“Horse Race Politics turns that complexity into something engaging and accessible,” Professor Wall has stated, aiming to make the election better understood by all.
Alongside the forecasting tools, the platform features social forums, a daily Welsh politics quiz, and access to expert commentary via a dedicated podcast and blog. This is part of a wider effort to increase engagement, similar to how Swansea-based research programmes are funding new studies into the region’s future.
Dr Louis Bromfield, the platform’s lead developer, has said the project was inspired by the massive popularity of sports-based fantasy leagues.
“We are creating a new way for people to engage with democracy, making prediction a more formal and fun experience,” Dr Bromfield has explained.
The project is funded by UK Research and Innovation and forms part of the wider 2026 Welsh Election Study led by Swansea University in collaboration with Aberystwyth University.
