Has your postal vote still not arrived? Here's what to do
Royal Mail has blamed the government for voters not receiving their postal ballots ahead of the general election this Thursday (July 4).
There are reports of thousands of postal ballots not being delivered in time, with Royal Mail saying there is "no backlog" in its system.
Postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake has urged Royal Mail "to do all they can" to make sure postal votes arrive with voters in time. He is in “direct contact” with the service according to health minister Maria Caulfield.
The Telegraph says more than 90 constituencies, including those of cabinet ministers, have raised concerns about ballots failing to arrive.
Royal Mail has responded by saying it is delivering postal votes immediately as they arrive in its network - and has called for a review of how the printing and administration of postal votes are handled before the ballot papers are received by Royal Mail.
A Royal Mail spokesman 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."
What should you do if you haven’t yet received your postal vote?
If your postal vote still hasn't arrived, don't fret. Luckily, you'll still be able to vote. Here are your options:
Request a replacement postal ballot pack
You can request a replacement postal ballot pack in person up until 5pm on Thursday, July 4. All you'll need to bring is your ID. Check where you can do so on Gov.uk which has a postcode checker to find your Local Electoral Registration Office.
Then, you'll have a choice between having a new postal ballot sent to you, or completing the ballot on-site and handing it back to them
Request another postal vote
If you opt to have a new postal vote sent to you, you should send it off no later than Wednesday, July 3 and make sure it arrives in the postbox before final collection.
Take your postal vote with you on the day
Another option is to take your postal ballot to your local polling station to vote.
How to contact your local election team
For help and advice, use the Electoral Commission's postcode checker to find the contact details of your local election team.
