Part 1: Constitutional Arrangements Chapter 4: Elections Section 5: Power to make provision about elections
Subsection (1) of section 5 substitutes a new section 13 into GoWA.
	Subsection (1) of new section 13 gives the Welsh Ministers an order-making power to make provision about the conduct of Assembly elections, the questioning of such elections and the return of an Assembly member otherwise than at an election.
	Subsection (2) of new section 13 clarifies the scope of the Welsh Ministers’ power to make provision about the conduct of Assembly elections and makes clear that it enables provision to be made:.
about the registration of electors,
for disregarding alterations in a register of electors,
about the limitation of the election expenses of candidates and the creation of criminal offences in connection with the limitation of such expenses,
for the combination of polls,
to modify the operation of sections 6 and 8(2) of GoWA, which provide for the return of constituency members to be determined before the process of allocating regional members can proceed, where a poll at a constituency election is abandoned (or notice of it is countermanded) so that special provision can be made enabling the regional members to be returned even though not all of the constituency members have been returned; and
to modify the effect of section 9(7) of GoWA to ensure that the correct number of seats are allocated.
	Subsection (3) of new section 13 makes clear that the Welsh Ministers’ power to make provision about the return of an Assembly member otherwise than at an election, will include modifying sections 11(3) to (5) of GoWA, which concern the procedure to be followed when a regional Assembly seat is vacant.
	Subsections (4) and (5) of new section 13 supplement and elaborate on the scope of subsection (1) and give the Welsh Ministers powers relating to the application and modification of electoral law.
	Subsection (6) of new section 13 provides that the return of an Assembly member may only be questioned under Part 3 (legal proceedings) of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as applied or incorporated in an order under this section.
	Subsection (7) of new section 13 provides that any order made under this section is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure of the Assembly.
	Subsection (1) of section 5 also inserts a new section 13A into GoWA.
	Subsections (1) to (4) of new section 13A give the Secretary of State a regulation-making power to make provision to combine the polls at certain Assembly selections with the polls at certain UK Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections. The Secretary of State must obtain the agreement of the Welsh Ministers before making any such regulations.
	Subsections (5) and (6) of new section 13A supplement and elaborate on the regulation-making power and give the Secretary of State powers relating to the application and modification of electoral law as well as a power to amend forms contained in, or in regulations or rules made under, the Representation of the People Acts. Subsection (7) of new section 13A provides that any regulations made under this section are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure in both Houses of Parliament.
	Subsection (2) of the section inserts a new subsection (5D) into section 15 of the Representation of the People Act 1985, requiring the Secretary of State to consult the Welsh Ministers before making combination rules under section 15(5), where one of the elections is a local government election in Wales.
	Subsection (3) of the section amends section 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) which provides for the Electoral Commission to be consulted on certain changes to electoral law. Subsection (3) requires the Secretary of State to consult the Electoral Commission before exercising the power to make regulations under new section 13A by adding a reference to new section 13A in section 7(2)(f) of PPERA. This amendment mirrors the existing requirement included in section 7(2)(f) for the Electoral Commission to be consulted before the power to make orders under section 13 of GoWA is exercised.