Perth and Kinross voters who did not get postal ballot before going on holiday disenfranchised

Perth and Kinross voters who did not receive their postal ballot before going on holiday over the election will not be able to vote.

The secretary for the Electoral Management Board has said "there is no remaining option in the timetable".

On Thursday, June 4 the UK will hold a general election but - with the election taking place during the Perth and Kinross school summer holidays - many voters are now away on holiday.

Not all voters who applied for a postal ballot received them before heading off, leading the Electoral Management Board for Scotland to call for a major review and Scotland's first minister to be "very concerned".

It is not known how many voters in Perth and Kinross this has affected.

This week Chris Highcock, secretary for the Electoral Management Board said: "If a voter is now on holiday and they have not received the postal vote before they left there is no remaining option in the timetable. Voters can have any lost or non-delivered postal vote reissued if they apply in person to the returning officer by 5pm on July 4."

On Thursday, June 27 Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) issued a statement on social media acknowledging some of its residents had yet to receive their postal ballots.

The PKC statement said: "We’re aware that, in line with the experience across Scotland, a number of residents in Perth and Kinross are reporting that they have not received their postal votes. Unfortunately, there have been ongoing issues with both suppliers and Royal Mail nationally and we welcome the Electoral Management Board’s agreement that a comprehensive review of capacity and systems is necessary after the election. In the meantime, given the tight timescale, we have been engaging with Royal Mail locally who have assured us that they are focussing efforts on clearing the backlog of deliveries and we are hopeful that residents still waiting for a postal vote will receive this in the coming days.

"Any resident who has applied for a postal vote for the Perth and Kinross-shire Constituency who still hasn’t received a pack by Monday 1 July 2024 should contact elections@pkc.gov.uk."

However many Perth and Kinross residents responded that Monday, July 1 would be too late as they would be on holiday.

One voter said: "Too late, away on holiday and won’t get to vote now. Absolute madness sending a letter confirming I’d applied for a postal vote, when they could have just sent the blooming thing so I could actually vote."

Another branded the situation "a shambles".

A council spokesperson explained to the Local Democracy Reporting Service ballot papers are dispatched centrally.

The PKC spokesperson said: "Ballot papers are dispatched centrally (which is why this is affecting so many council areas) but applicants all receive a letter saying their application has been received and when they can expect their ballot papers. Postal votes aren’t tracked so we can’t say how many have been received so far."

Royal Mail said there has been no backlog.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We have no backlog of postal votes in our network at any of our offices in Scotland. We understand there have been issues associated with the printing of ballot packs that has delayed them being handed over to us for delivery. We are delivering ballot packs as soon as they arrive in our network. We are working with all local authorities to get postal votes to voters as quickly as possible."

Last week Scotland's first minister John Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme he was "very concerned" some voters "have not got the ability to participate in the election".

The Perthshire North MSP added: "In an election where there will be a number of marginal contests in Scotland, because there is a really intense contest going on here in Scotland, I am worried people will be disenfranchised."

Electoral Management Board Scotland convener Malcolm Burr said over 25 per cent of voters now choose to vote by post and the timetable for this election was "very tight".

He said: "There have been and remain issues with both suppliers and with Royal Mail across Scotland which the electoral community are dealing with as best we can.

"It should be noted that the legal and logistical timetable for this election is very tight, exacerbated in Scotland by the holiday period commencing in many areas at the end of this week."

He added: "The EMB believes that there is a need for a major review of capacity and systems after the election. That view is shared across the electoral community."

The Association of Electoral Administrators posted a statement on its website also calling for a review and for the emergency proxy vote provision to be expanded to those who have not received postal ballots.

It said: "We agree with the Electoral Management Board in Scotland that the current postal voting system needs review and improvement.

"As outlined in our 2021 Blueprint for a Modern Electoral Landscape, we believe earlier deadlines for absent voting applications would better meet electors’ needs, including those living overseas.

"The law also prevents returning officers from helping electors whose postal vote doesn’t arrive. We want emergency proxy provision to be expanded to include electors who have not received their postal vote.

"More than 1.3 million postal vote applications were made between 22 May and 19 June – more than were issued in total for the 1997 General Election. We anticipate postal vote numbers will top 10 million at this election, a 20 per cent increase from the 2019 General Election.

"Election teams are doing their very best to run this snap election, but with a short timetable – plus print and delivery suppliers working at capacity – demand is overloading the system.

"Printing postal votes is a complicated process. Personalised postal vote statements must be matched with the correct ballot paper, personalised envelopes and instruction sheets. Election teams also need to carry out security checks adding to the time needed to prepare and send ballot papers out.

"Closing applications 16 working days before a poll, rather than the current 11, would increase capacity to process, print and post out ballot packs – and crucially give voters more time to post them back.

The number of postal votes cast in general elections has risen from 937,000 in 1997 to 8.2 million in 2019.