Concerns that postal ballots are not arriving at some voters’ doors have triggered a blame game between the Royal Mail and the government.
Here’s what happened, why it matters for Thursday’s general election – and what to do if you are yet to receive your own postal ballot.
What’s happened?
There have been widespread reports that thousands of postal ballots have not being delivered in time by their local councils.
According to The Telegraph, more than 90 constituencies across England and Scotland – including seats where cabinet ministers are standing for re-election – have expressed fears that ballots have still not been delivered.
Why does this matter?
Postal voters have until Wednesday to cast their ballot by mail, otherwise they can take their ballot to the address on their postal voting pack during office hours before 5pm on polling day.
In 2019, 21% of voters sent their ballot by post – but for this election, it’s expected to have shot up to 25%.
There were 1.3m postal vote applications made between May 22 and June 19, according to the Local Government Association, which represents councils.
It said: “This unprecedented increase adds more pressure to an already complex process and overburdened system.
“Councils and electoral staff across the country have been doing their utmost to ensure the smooth running of this election and that people can vote.
“We are aware of reports of incidents where delays have happened.
“The postal vote system could benefit from review and more could be done to support Royal Mail and printers to be ready to deliver elections.”
This delay with the postal votes is a particular issue in Scotland because school summer holidays have already begun – and some families have already left the country.
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said his party had warned the government this could happen if an election was held in July.
He told BBC Breakfast: “If their postal vote didn’t land in time then they’re now disenfranchised in this election.”
He told Sky News the blame “lies at Sunak’s doorstep”.
What does the government say?
On Tuesday, Conservative minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News the government is “urgently” looking into why some voters are still waiting to receive their postal ballots.
She said postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake is taking this “very seriously” and speaking to Royal Mail.
Caulfield added: “I know there’s extra resources going into this to try and do a sweep of all the sorting offices and make sure they’re out there.”
Hollinrake has publicly pressed Royal Mail to “do all they can” to ensure postal votes get to voters on time, while warning of a “resourcing issue”.
He told the Telegraph: “They have recruited extra people and I welcome that but they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the right number of people to deliver the mail at busy times like this.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission – which oversees UK elections – said there were pressures on the postal voting system due to the holiday season”.
It said it intends to carry out a review after the election, adding: “The vast majority of postal votes have been delivered, with tens of thousands landing on doorsteps over the weekend. We are not aware of any outstanding large-scale issues.”
What does Royal Mail say?
The organisation says it is delivering the postal ballots as soon as they can, and said where specific concerns have been raised, their investigations have confirmed they are “being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network”.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We have no backlog of postal votes and, whilst we are not complacent, we remain confident that postal votes handed to us on time will be delivered prior to polling day.”
It is now calling for a review into the timetable of how the printing and administration of the ballots are handled before they are given to Royal Mail for distribution.
PM Rishi Sunak praised the organisation’s approach, saying: “It’s right that the Royal Mail have said that they will look at any concerns where they’re raised, because obviously we want to make sure everyone can vote because this is an important election.”
What happens if you receive your postal vote late?
If you have not yet received your postal ballot, you are advised to contact your local authority for a replacement.
You can take your postal vote to your local polling station on Thursday if you receive it late.
It is no longer possible to apply for a proxy vote – where someone else votes for you – as that deadline has passed.
Some Scottish councils have set up emergency voting centres for those going on holiday who are yet to receive a postal ballot.