Concerns have been raised over people not receiving postal vote papers ahead of the general election on Thursday in a string of constituencies including voters in the Penrith and Solway Constituency, prompting warnings that the postal ballot chaos could lead to results being challenged as votes are counted on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Some voters in Penrith and the local area in the new Penrith and Solway Constituency have reported facing issues with trying to register for postal ballots and some who have managed to register have still not received postal voting papers from Cumberland Council who is responsible for running the election in the Penrith and Solway Constituency.
Voters had to apply for a postal vote by 5pm on the 19th of June and were advised to send them off immediately once they had voted for a candidate.
Postal voting has become in recent years more widely used accounting for at least 25% of all votes cast in UK General Elections now.
Anyone with a right to vote in the General Election can apply for a postal vote with the timing of the July election clashing with holiday plans for many leading to an increase in request for postal votes.
The electoral commission said holidaymakers had fuelled an unexpected surge in demand for postal votes, and that it would review the issue after the election.
With lower voter turnout than was seen in 2019 forecast in the new Penrith and Solway Constituency postal votes will be important in determining the result of Thursdays election. Officials have said that the delayed deliveries could be grounds for candidates challenging the outcome.
A number of the councils responsible for running the election constituencies facing delays and issues with postal votes have said that they were not to blame because they had dispatched all postal ballots on time.
A source a Royal Mail said that the issue was not with the postal service as in some constituencies, postal ballots were still being dispatched by on Friday by councils.
Voters facing issues in the Penrith area have said they have faced issues but to Cumberland Council been responsible for running the election for Penrith and Solway.
One family who were heading away on holiday over the weekend had registered for postal votes ahead of the deadline and one of the three voters in the household received their postal vote.
On Thursday they contacted the number shown on the postal papers at Cumberland Council to say they had not received the other postal votes.
Cumberland Council informed them that as they lived in Westmorland and Furness they were unable to check their address and postal vote status and they would need to contact Westmorland and Furness Council.
Following the advice of Cumberland Council the family called Westmorland and Furness Council to be passed to the elections department who told them they needed to contact Cumberland Council who were responsible for running the election.
The two of the family members now on their holiday have due to the confusion between the councils lost their vote in the 2024 General Election.
Speaking with us on Friday the family said “We go on holiday tomorrow so that’s two votes not getting submitted. But more importantly wrong number on voting papers so no postal voters in Penrith can get the required help.”
“It’s an absolute cock up !”
Others have said they faced issues due to the different council areas with even trying to register for a postal vote for Thursday’s election.
We have approach Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council for comment on the postal vote situation faced by some voters in the Penrith area.
Westmorland and Furness Council are looking into the situation and will provide comment once they have investigated.
Cumberland Council have declined to comment on the issues faced by voters in Penrith ahead of Thursdays General Election when some of the areas voters will have lost their ability to cast a vote for one of the eight candidates standing to be the areas MP.
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