Swinney calls for a review amid issues around postal votes
◆ First Minster asks PM Sunak to ensure voters cannot be ‘disenfranchised’ in future elections despite claims all is ok
John Swinney has pushed for a review of the timetable for general elections amid issues with Scottish voters receiving postal ballots.
Tomorrow’s election falls in the first full week of the school summer holidays in most parts of Scotland, with delays in receiving postal votes resulting in some Scots being left without a vote due to alreadyplanned holidays abroad.
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Mr Swinney said the issues had been caused by a combination of the Prime Minister’s decision to hold the vote on an “unsuitable date”, and the timetable for elections leaving “little room in it to address issues” which may arise.
The First Minister’s comments relate to the deadline for postal voting registration in this election being June 19, but the date of ballots being sent to voters was June 27 – after most schools broke up for the holidays – meaning their late arrival could disenfranchise voters.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Swinney said: “The problem has been caused by a combination of your selection of an unsuitable date for the general election, and the timetable for UK Parliament elections, which has little room in it to address issues arising, such as the reported delays at the printers.
“In this case, the deadline for applying for a new postal vote being on June 19 meant that some postal packs had to be issued at a time when some Scottish schools were already on holiday.
“As well as establishing the facts about what happened
If there’s not a backlog, where’s the postal votes for my constituents? Stephen Flynn
during this election, a review into both the timetable for UK Parliament elections and how decisions are made about their timing needs to be held urgently after the general election.
“I expect the Electoral Management Board for Scotland to be involved in this review, as the body with the greatest
nd expertise and experience in the conduct of elections in Scotland .
“There may be little that can be done now for some voters to secure their ability to vote in this election, but it would give them some confidence in the UK electoral system and our democracy to know in advance of the election that such a review was planned.”
The First Minister also stressed it was important to acknowledge “there are no arrangements that can ensure that everyone entitled to vote is able to, in these circumstances”.
Speaking during a visit to Aviemore yesterday, Mr Swinney backed the call of his party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn for reform to the postal voting system. On Monday, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister did not share Mr Swinney’s concerns, adding the UK government was working with the Electoral Commission, elections officials and the Royal Mail to resolve any issues.
UK postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake is said to be “urgently investigating” the issue, but Royal Mail has rejected claims there is a backlog, saying the service is “not complacent”.
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said: “It is deeply worrying that people are at risk of losing their opportunity to vote in this crucial
election. It is essential that councils continue to work to address these delays and provide voters with alternatives, so that all voters have the chance to make their voice heard.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Royal Mail 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.
“Where specific concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network.
“We would welcome a review into the timetable for future elections with all stakeholders to ensure that the system for printing and administering postal votes before they are handed to Royal Mail works as smoothly as possible.”
The Local Government Association has also called for a review of the already “overburdened” system put under extra pressure by an “unprecedented increase” in people voting by post.
Sir Keir Starmer and Stephen Flynn also expressed concern over the issues. Sir Keir said: “They need to sort it out and get on with sorting it out because what you can’t have is people who are entitled to a vote not being able to exercise it. If the Post Office minister hasn’t met them, do it now in the next hour or two. Seriously, we are running out of time, it’s not something we can do tomorrow.”
Mr Flynn, who said he had received numerous emails from voters who had not received their postal ballot in Scotland where school holidays had already begun, questioned Royal Mail’s denial of a backlog.
“If there’s not a backlog, where’s the postal votes for my constituents, people that I’ve represented and hope to represent again, who don’t have access to the postal votes?”
Polling expert John Curtice suggested the delays would likely hit Tories the hardest, if they had any effect.
“We know that postal voters tend to be somewhat older – older people are somewhat more likely to vote Conservative.”
The chief executive of the Electoral Commission suggested the system had struggled in some areas with the turnaround but said about 6.7 million postal votes had already been sent.
“That’s better than previous elections,” Vijay Rangarajan said.