Election watchdog warns of pressure on UK postal voting system

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The Electoral Commission has warned that Britain's postal voting system is under strain ahead of Thursday's election, with some ballot deliveries delayed in Scotland and parts of southern England.

Several local councils in Scotland were forced to operate emergency helplines at the weekend for voters who had not received their postal ballot packets, while delays in deliveries were also reported in parts of London, Essex and Devon.

Britain's election watchdog, the Electoral Commission, said tens of thousands of postal ballots were delivered over the weekend, but acknowledged the holiday season had put pressure on the postal voting system.

He added: “We continue to provide advice and guidance to our electoral services team to support the mail-in voting process.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Downing Street was aware of concerns in some areas about the printing and delivery of postal ballot packets.

Royal Mail insisted that none of the problems were their fault.

The company said it has never had a mail-in ballot go unprocessed. When concerns were raised, we investigated and confirmed that ballots were being delivered as soon as they arrived on the network.

Downing Street said Royal Mail would overhaul its systems to identify any outstanding postal ballots on polling day and ensure all ballots were handed over to electoral officers before polls close.

Voters using mail-in ballots must return their completed ballots by 10 p.m. Thursday, the same time voters who vote in person have to vote. Those who do not receive a ballot can complete a mail-in ballot in person at the City Council office before 5 p.m. Thursday.

Peter Stanion, chief executive of the Electoral Commissioners Association, said the situation in Scotland had been exacerbated by delays in printing some ballot papers and was further complicated by the end of the school term last week and the increase in voters leaving for the summer holidays.

He said he used a particular supplier, a printer who was producing the material. There was a slight delay in printing, a few hours, and that knocked on the door.

He added that there have been documented cases where people who applied for postal voting have not yet received their ballots.

According to the latest information we have, all mail-in ballots are in the supply chain and expected to be delivered over the weekend.

Scottish parliaments, including Edinburgh, the Borders, the Highlands and Fife, have set up emergency facilities over the weekend for people needing to fill out postal ballots in person or going on holiday.

Edinburgh City Council received more than 100,000 applications for postal ballots in the recent general election, a 41% increase on the number of applications received in 2019.

In west London, some voters reported not receiving their postal ballots by the weekend, more than two weeks after initially requesting them.

Kensington and Bayswater Labour candidate Joe Powell said he had heard first-hand reports of a few instances where postal ballots had not arrived. Kensington and Chelsea Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The Association of Election Commissioners currently estimates that more than 10 million people will request mail-in ballots in the general election, a 20% increase from the 2019 general election.

Beyond the issues in Scotland, Uttlesford District Council in Essex said it had sent out some postal ballots late due to human error. The issue affects some voters in the North West Essex constituency currently held by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch.

The commission said on Monday that all voters should receive a ballot by Monday and urged voters to return it promptly so it arrives by Election Day on Thursday.

There were also reports of delays in postal ballot deliveries in the area covered by Teignbridge District Council in Devon. The council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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