AEA: Postal vote reform needed after ‘problems across the board’

Volume and capacity issues within Royal Mail “must be addressed” after “problems across the board” during both local and general elections last year, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has warned.

In its report, New Blueprint for a Modern Electoral Landscape, published yesterday, the AEA highlighted the challenges faced during the general election, which was called just 14 working days after the local elections — an event described as “entirely unexpected”.

Approximately 1.3 million new postal vote applications were made for last year’s general election. These applications were submitted between the election being called on 22 May and the application deadline on 19 June. According to figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, (MHCLG) 85% of these applications were made online.

The report noted that the volume of applications “overwhelmed many electoral registration officers and their teams,” who were simultaneously managing “avalanches of registration requests”.

It also pointed to the pressure on printers, which were “hard-pressed” to meet the 25-day working timetable, as election teams and suppliers needed to “swing back into action immediately”.

The report emphasised the “complexity” of printing over 9.5 million postal vote packs for the general election, alongside more than 48 million poll cards and around 50 million ballot papers, all produced from a “standing start”. It stressed that such tasks “must not be underestimated”.

The AEA’s report also raised concerns about the vulnerability of elections due to capacity issues across the supply chain.

The report said: “Capacity across the supply chain leaves entire elections vulnerable. Even at polls with lower turnouts, any postal vote related issues can call a result into question.

“The 2024 UKPGE felt like a perfect storm. Timescales and supplier capacity continue to be tested by ever-increasing volumes of postal votes.”

In light of these challenges, the AEA has called for an earlier postal vote deadline to “increase capacity and resilience.” The AEA added that this change would help returning officers manage and meet electors’ expectations.

The AEA recommended setting the postal vote deadline for all UK elections at 5pm, 16 working days before the poll, up from the current deadline of 11 days.

Peter Stanyon, chief executive of the AEA, said “constant” electoral changes without “fundamental reform” had made elections “harder than ever to deliver”.

He said: “With votes from 16 coming to England and UK polls and changes in devolved nations, we can’t continue bolting 21st-century voter expectations onto 19th-century infrastructure. The risk of failure increases with every change made.”

Andrew Smith, AEA chair, added: “Elections run year-round. Whether a poll is small and local or high-profile and national, all every returning officer, electoral registration officer, and electoral administrator wants is to deliver safe, secure, and accurate elections the public has trust in.”

LGC has approached MHCLG for comment.