The 2026 Senedd elections have come and gone.

Labour is out of power, Plaid is seeking to run a minority government, Reform made many gains, and the Greens have made their Senedd debut.

While we were hoping for better results, this election cycle will remain especially significant to me forever, as it was the first time I’ve gotten involved in politics beyond just voting (an important task in itself).

I volunteered to work on Sam Bennett’s team in Gwyr Abertawe, where we faced strong opposition from Labour, the Tories, the Greens, Reform, and Plaid Cymru. From my very first day, I felt so welcome by the team. My first job was to deliver letters to residents at Swansea Marina, which introduced me to the bane of every campaigner’s life: awkwardly-placed mailboxes.

As I was finishing up, I had a phone call from the campaign manager; David Chadwick MP had made a surprise appearance to help Sam canvass. This was a two-for-one experience for me, as not only had I never met an MP, I had also never canvassed! Sam showed me the ropes, and then off I went with David, shadowing him on the first few doors before I knocked on doors myself, learning my own rhythm: “Hello, my name is Jack, I’m here on behalf of” and so on. I even managed to convince one lovely family to put up a stakeboard!

Next came the clerical tasks, where I volunteered to write and stuff hundreds of envelopes, which my mum very kindly helped me with. While she and the rest of my family voted Plaid (we live in a different constituency), she was more than happy to help, knowing how much this meant to me, and that any attempt to stop Reform was worth supporting in her book.

Then, finally, came polling day. We “knocked up” houses across Swansea, reminding people to vote, which probably took longer than it should have, as it turns out, I’m awful at reading maps on Mini-Van. The day after that, the count. I got to the Brangwyn Hall at 9:30, where we were all briefed on the day’s duties: tally the votes up for data purposes, keep an eye on the ballots, and call out if any Lib Dem votes get mixed up with others.

Ultimately, our campaign fell short of victory. But the hard work put in by Sam and the team was second to none. It allowed me to step out from just commenting online about political events and get involved in the nitty-gritty of it all, and, suffice it to say, I loved it.

So much, in fact, that I have put myself forward for consideration to be a Lib Dem candidate for next year’s council elections in Carmarthenshire. It will certainly be a fight, given the clear divide between Plaid and Reform support in the area.

Still, if there’s one thing I learnt from Sam, it’s that no matter what people say or what the situation looks like, you keep pushing, keep fighting, and keep showing up for the people you care about.

* Jack Meredith is a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Wales Chair for Centre Think Tank. His writing focuses on democratic reform, social justice, economic democracy, and the institutional foundations of effective government. He has written for Lib Dem Voice, Liberator, Fabians, Centre Write, Nation.Cymru, and Bylines Cymru.