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The Electoral Fee has warned the UK’s postal voting system is dealing with “pressures” forward of Thursday’s election, after delays to some poll deliveries in Scotland and elements of southern England.
A number of Scottish councils had been compelled to run weekend emergency assist centres for voters whose postal voting packs had not arrived, whereas elements of London, Essex and Devon have additionally confronted reported delays to deliveries.
The Electoral Fee, the UK’s elections watchdog, mentioned tens of 1000’s of postal votes had been delivered over the weekend, however admitted there have been “pressures on the postal voting system because of the vacation season”.
It added: “We’re persevering with to supply recommendation and steering to electoral providers groups to assist them with the postal voting course of.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson mentioned Downing Road was “conscious of some considerations across the printing and supply of postal poll packs in some native areas”.
Royal Mail insisted that any issues weren’t its fault.
“We now have no backlog of postal votes,” the corporate mentioned. “The place considerations have been raised, now we have investigated and confirmed poll packs are being delivered as quickly as they arrive in our community.”
Downing Road mentioned Royal Mail would conduct a sweep of its system on polling day for any excellent postal ballots and would guarantee any had been handed to returning officers forward of the shut of polls.
Voters who use a postal vote should ship again their accomplished ballots to reach by 10pm on Thursday, the similar time that polls shut for in-person voters. Anybody who has not acquired poll papers is ready to fill their postal vote out in particular person at a council’s workplaces earlier than 5pm on Thursday.
The state of affairs in Scotland had been made worse by delays in printing some poll papers, and sophisticated by a excessive variety of voters leaving for summer time holidays after the college time period ended final week, mentioned Peter Stanyon, chief government of the Affiliation of Electoral Directors.
“They used one specific provider,” he mentioned, referring to the printer that had been producing materials. “There was a slight delay within the print, by a number of hours, and that knocked on.”
He added there had been some “documented” circumstances the place postal votes had not but arrived with individuals who utilized for them.
“The most recent info that we’ve acquired is that every one postal votes are within the provide chain and had been attributable to be delivered over the weekend,” he mentioned.
Scottish councils together with Edinburgh, Borders, Highlands and Fife ran emergency services over the weekend for individuals who wanted to fill in postal votes in particular person and had been about to depart on vacation.
Edinburgh Metropolis council had acquired greater than 100,000 functions for postal votes within the present normal election, a 41 per cent improve on functions in 2019.
In west London, some electors reported failing to obtain their postal ballots by the weekend, greater than two weeks after making preliminary requests.
Joe Powell, Labour candidate for Kensington and Bayswater, mentioned he had instantly heard stories of “a number of circumstances” of postal ballots failing to reach. Kensington and Chelsea council didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The Affiliation of Electoral Directors has mentioned greater than 10mn persons are anticipated to ask for postal votes within the present normal election, a 20 per cent improve from the 2019 normal election.
In addition to the issues in Scotland, Uttlesford District Council in Essex mentioned that it despatched out some postal votes late due to “human error”. The difficulty impacts some voters within the North West Essex constituency at the moment held by Kemi Badenoch, the enterprise and commerce secretary.
The council mentioned on Monday that every one voters ought to obtain their poll by Monday, and urged voters to ship them again instantly to make sure they arrived by polling day on Thursday.
There have additionally been stories of delays to supply of postal votes within the space coated by Teignbridge District Council, in Devon. The council didn’t instantly reply to a request to remark.
