Council Investigates Postal Vote Delivery Issues
Cardiff Council is urgently investigating reports that some individuals who applied for postal voting have not yet received their ballot papers ahead of Thursday's Senedd election.
The council has announced that replacement voting packs will be hand delivered to the remaining affected households on Tuesday, with a small number being reissued via priority mail.
The Electoral Commission stated that Cardiff's local elections team and Royal Mail are working to dispatch the final packs as soon as possible, advising affected voters to follow the council's guidance.
Cardiff resident Ian Cottrell expressed his frustration, saying he was "disappointed and angry" that his postal vote had not arrived before he traveled abroad, preventing him from voting.
Ian, aged 52, noted that this election would be the first time since 1992 that he would be unable to vote.
Anticipating his absence on election day, Ian completed the necessary paperwork in advance but became concerned when his postal vote did not arrive. He also reported receiving no communication from the council regarding any delays.
"My democratic right to vote has been taken away from me by a quite obviously ineffective process," he said.
"I am also disappointed and angry that Cardiff Council have not communicated any delays. I have found out everything via social media."
Council Response and Investigation Details
Cardiff Council reported that it has issued nearly 47,000 postal vote packs, with over 26,500 already returned.
"We have been working urgently to investigate the issue and have identified that the affected packs relate to a supplementary print run for the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Caerdydd Penarth constituencies," the council said.
"We have received assurances from our print provider, Civica, that the relevant data was received correctly from the council and that the packs were printed and dispatched to Royal Mail, who continue to investigate."
The council added that a number of postal vote packs have been reissued and further replacements will be hand-delivered on Tuesday, with a small number sent again by mail.
"Voters who receive a replacement pack can complete it and either return it to our staff at the time of delivery, hand it in at any polling station before 10pm on Thursday, or deliver it to County Hall before 10pm on polling day.
We regret any inconvenience experienced and are focused on ensuring all those affected are able to vote."
Electoral Commission and Royal Mail Statements
The Electoral Commission acknowledged awareness of "issues with the delivery of some postal votes in Cardiff." It emphasized that the local elections team and Royal Mail are working to send the final packs promptly and advised affected voters to follow Cardiff Council's instructions.
"If there are individual cases where a voter has not yet received their postal ballot pack, they should immediately request a replacement from Cardiff Council," the commission added.
Royal Mail stated that it has investigated the matter and confirmed all items had been processed and delivered.
"There are no outstanding postal ballot packs at delivery offices in CF postcode area," Royal Mail said.
Political Parties React
The Liberal Democrats reported having spoken to several individuals affected in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency, commenting that "the system has let them down."
Plaid Cymru described the situation as "extremely worrying" and urged "anyone who has not received their postal vote pack to contact their local council immediately."
Welsh Labour called the situation "very concerning," emphasizing that the council must ensure "[the postal ballots] are returned in good time to be counted."
The Welsh Conservatives described the failure to deliver all postal votes as "deeply concerning."
Reform labelled the issue "completely unacceptable," adding that "people who have postal votes should not be disenfranchised."
The Greens have been approached for comment.
