Postal vote delays could cost my election, Tory candidate warns

A Tory candidate in a key battleground seat has warned that delays in issuing postal votes for this week’s general election could be the difference between him winning and losing.

Luke Graham, the Conservative candidate in Perth and Kinross-shire, said more than 20 voters had told him they had not received their papers before leaving on their summer holidays.

Mr Graham told The Telegraph his campaign team was aware of other cases and the delay could theoretically cost him election in the seat, which the SNP won by 21 votes in 2017.

Although the SNP’s Pete Wishart increased his majority in 2019 to 7,550, its boundaries have since been redrawn to bring in some Tory areas and polls have shown backing for the Nationalists has nosedived.

Mr Graham said: “It absolutely could be the difference between winning or losing. It impacts all parties but I’ve had at least 20 people contacting me to say they have not had their ballot paper before going away on holiday.”

There have been similar reports in England but it is a particular problem in Scotland as most schools have broken up for the summer holidays and many families are already abroad.

Marginal seats below the border have been affected by similar delays, with postal votes arriving late in at least seven English constituencies.

One constituency affected is North West Essex, where Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, is fighting to retain her seat. As many as 2,600 postal votes were sent out late in “human error” by Uttlesford district council, whose chief executive said candidates could challenge a close result on election night because of the delay.

It is understood that councils across the country have not been printing enough ballot papers and Royal Mail has not been delivering them on time.

Mr Graham, who previously headed Boris Johnson’s union unit in Number 10, has demanded an investigation into how the delay occurred.

The Electoral Management Board for Scotland has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes”.

Some councils opened emergency drop-in centres over the weekend, while others offered to send out replacement packs. Overall, around a quarter of the Scottish electorate votes by post.

Anyone who is a long-term postal voter or who applied before June 7 ought to have received their voting pack two weeks ago. A second round of ballot papers was dispatched over the weekend for those who applied later.

But Mr Graham recalled meeting a family who were about to go on holiday and had not received their ballot papers, claiming the son wanted to vote Tory and his parents were undecided about whether to back the Conservatives or the SNP.

“It’s incredibly frustrating – nobody should be disenfranchised like this,” he said. “I don’t know whether it’s the Royal Mail or the printing company but there needs to be an investigation and action taken. I want every vote to come through.”

Theresa May, the former prime minister, has been out canvassing for Mr Graham, with footage emerging of her leaving a message on a doorbell camera. He was previously MP for Ochil and South Perthshire between 2017 and 2019.

John Swinney has also warned that the election contest in knife-edge seats across Scotland could be determined by “disenfranchised” people not getting their postal votes before departing on their summer holidays.

The First Minister has said there are “lots of seats that are very close contests” where the result could be impacted by the delays and blamed Rishi Sunak for calling the election during the Scottish school holidays.

Asked whether the Prime Minister shared Mr Swinney’s concerns, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters on Monday: “No. We are aware of some concerns around the printing and delivery of postal ballot packs in some local areas.

“We’re working closely with the Electoral Commission, returning officers, Royal Mail and the print suppliers to support the resolution of these issues.”

BBC Scotland contacted the country’s 32 councils asking for guidance for those who had not received their postal votes, with most responding that the final round of packs should have been delivered on Saturday.

East Lothian and Scottish Borders councils set up emergency facilities over the weekend so voters who will be away this week could collect postal packs in person.

Edinburgh and Fife said they would keep their emergency polling booths open until Thursday’s election. Fife’s returning officer said more than 200 replacement ballots were issued on Saturday.

‘Fundamentals of democracy’

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader,  criticised the delays, saying: “I’m deeply concerned across the board, because one person disenfranchised is one person too many, regardless of their politics, regardless of who they vote for, because that’s the fundamentals of our democracy.

“And I’m aware of several cases already of people who have left to go on holiday and didn’t receive their postal votes on time. That is not acceptable.”

He said it was important to “minimise any damage done”, and called on the Electoral Commission, election management boards and the Royal Mail to urgently address the issue.

An Electoral Commission spokesman in Scotland said: “Tens of thousands of postal votes were delivered over the weekend. We know local authorities and Royal Mail are working to get the final ones out as soon as possible.

“As is the case at all elections, given the electoral timetable, there is a short window of time for administrators to prepare and dispatch postal votes.”

He added: “Following the election, we will undertake research with voters and electoral administrators to understand their experiences at this poll. The administration of postal voting is one of the areas we will look at.”