Councils open emergency voting booths after postal ballot delay

Two Scottish councils are allowing postal voters who have not yet received their ballots to vote in person at an emergency facility this weekend.

Fife and City of Edinburgh Council also said that residents still waiting, who will not be at home on polling day, can have their voting pack reissued.

In Edinburgh the City Chambers is open from from Friday until Sunday.

Fife Council said Fife House in Glenrothes would be open on Saturday between 09:00 and 16:00.

The rare move follows calls for a review of the postal voting system across Scotland after voters reported not receiving their ballots just one week before polling day.

The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) said there had been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.

Other councils around the country are issuing updates on their websites.

East Renfrewshire Council said it would be delivering replacement packs over the weekend to people who had already been in touch over non-delivery.

Voters in Edinburgh can collect their new pack at the City Chambers and, if required, can vote there up to 17:00.

The facility will also be open from 09:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

Voters are asked to bring photo ID to the building on High Street.

The council said it was prioritising people who will not be at home next week and urged anyone who is not leaving the country to wait for delivery of their postal vote.

But it added that anyone who has not had their pack by early next week should contact the council.

More than 92,000 postal votes were sent out in Edinburgh last week – although it is not known how many have not been received. The council said another 11,000 should reach people on Friday or Saturday.

The surprise decision by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call a July election has posed additional challenges in Scotland as schools broke up this month for the summer holidays.

As a result many families will be out of the country on polling day.

Paul Lawrence, returning officer for Edinburgh, said: “I appreciate the concerns of voters on this issue and my absolute priority is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote in this general election.

“That’s why we’ve taken the decision to put in extra resources and open the City Chambers this weekend.

“Please only attend if you haven’t received your postal vote and you’re going on holiday or won’t be at home next week.”

Mr Lawrence also encouraged anyone who has already received their postal vote to return it as soon as possible, through Royal Mail.

He added: “The timing of this election has been challenging as have other circumstances beyond our control, but our teams are working hard to ensure it passes off as smoothly and successfully as possible.”

The returning officer for Fife, Ken Gourlay, said: “The printers and Royal Mail are doing everything they can to ensure that all postal packs are delivered by Monday July 1.

“However, we appreciate that voters are concerned and that’s why we’re opening Fife House tomorrow.

“Please only attend if you haven’t received your postal vote and you’re going on holiday or won’t be at home next week.”

The Electoral Commission has said anyone who applied before the deadline on Wednesday 19 June, and had their application approved, should receive their ballot pack through the post “in the coming days”.

A spokesperson said: “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.

“It is not uncommon for all postal ballots to not have arrived at this point. If a voter’s postal ballot pack does not arrive in time, there may still be options available to voters, such as requesting a replacement from their local authority.

“If voters are concerned their postal vote won’t be sent back in time, they also have the option of handing their postal pack to their polling station on polling day.”

Christine Walker, who lives in Dumfries and Galloway, is one of the thousands of people around the country who have been affected.

She is going on holiday on Monday and feels she has been denied the right to vote by the “ineptitude” of the authorities.

“I’m 77 years old. This is the first time I’ve ever had to apply for a postal vote and I’m not impressed,” she told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme.

“I applied in good time and got a reply to say I had been approved and now, two weeks later, nothing.

“They are all blaming each other – from the printers to Westminster, to the schools breaking up. It is gross inefficiency.

“I don’t have any options now because I am going to be down in Surrey and won’t be able to vote.”

Earlier, First Minister John Swinney described the situation as “deeply unacceptable” and said he was not surprised the timing of election was causing problems.

A number of Scottish councils have also reported delays in ballots being received by voters, including Fife and West Lothian.

Perth and Kinross Council said on social media it felt “a comprehensive review of capacity and systems is necessary after the election”.

Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no backlogs in any of its offices in Scotland.

Many councils have been sending out postal ballots in tranches, with people who applied after 7 June having to wait longer before the ballot packs are despatched.