Friday, 27 April 2007
Thurrock Council confirmed recently that an internal error had led to approximately 1400 unrequested postal vote packs being sent out. This figure has now been confirmed at just under 1300.
The problem arose because postal voters from last year's elections who should have been taken off a list used to address the packs for this year had, in fact, remained on it. Work has taken place to identify those voters and they have been written to, to advise them that they cannot use their voting pack but must use the poll card they have been issued with or, if they have received two postal votes, to only use one.
All postal votes received are being thoroughly checked, one by one, and any duplications identified. Where it is found that voters have returned the postal vote sent to them in error, duplications are found a letter will be hand-delivered to that resident advising them how to make a single, valid vote on Thursday, using their poll card. This will ensure the integrity of the postal voting element of the Election.
The Council first became aware of the issue when it received calls, with the BNP's being one of many, as the unwanted postal vote packs began to arrive through the mail. Once alerted, the Council immediately began work to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, through robust and comprehensive action.
Last week letters were sent to everyone whose name should have been removed from the original list to let them know the pack they received was not valid and advising them to use their poll card on May 3rd. A request was also made asking for packs to be returned to the Council.
A help line is available for anyone with any queries. The number is 01375652816.
Frequently Asked Questions
1)Does this error mean that anyone eligible to vote will now not be able to do so?
No, all eligible, registered voters have had a poll card which means that they will be able to vote in person at the polling station on 3rd May, unless they have completed the formalities to request a postal vote.
2)Why do I have a postal vote when you sent me a deletion letter?
This year has seen a radical change in the way postal voters are issued.
The Council had a separate list of those voters who had been registered to vote by post for previous elections but this year either had either failed to complete and return the new Identifier forms or had decided they did not want to vote by post for future Elections. The Identifier forms have been introduced this year by Central Government to help prevent postal vote fraud.
A list was sent in error to the printers who printed the ballot papers, before the names of people who did not respond to the new forms or who told the Council they did not want to vote by post in future elections, had been removed. This resulted in those people who should have come off as postal voters receiving a postal ballot pack. The computer system now shows the correct information and will reject any postal votes received in error, if they are used.
You will have received a letter from the Council explaining what you should do. Please send the postal vote pack back to the Council in the envelope supplied and go to the polling station on Thursday 3rd May to cast your vote as normal, with your poll card.
If you have already thrown away your postal vote pack, the Council would be grateful if you could telephone 01375 652816 and let us know.
3)What do you mean by "postal vote pack"?
This is the A5 envelope you should have received in the post - after Friday 20th April.
On the front of the envelope, it will say, "ballot papers, open and return immediately, do not delay". This is the postal pack that contains the postal vote forms.
4) Why was I not told sooner?
The Council did not realise the error had occurred until telephone calls were received from people asking why they had got a postal vote. As soon as the error was recognised, the council took steps to identify those people and write to them.
5) I have sent in my postal vote - what does this mean?
Within your postal vote pack, you were required to complete a statement, which contains information relating to your date of birth and a specimen of your signature. The Council will be scanning every statement received with each ballot paper and your postal vote will be identified when the Council carries out this process.
As part of the process for registering for a postal vote, voters were required to submit a signature and date of birth and this information has already been scanned and saved. This is called the identifier information and is the same information that is requested on your statement.
If you did not supply the identifier information earlier this year this will be picked up when your postal vote is scanned and the postal vote will be rejected. In order to vote effectively, you must go to your polling station on 3rd May 2007. If you requested a postal vote and completed the identifier information correctly, you can use your postal vote and it will be counted. If you are unsure whether your postal vote will be accepted you can ring the Electoral Services team on 01375 652816.
6) Where is my polling station?
A list of all wards can be found on the Council's website. Your polling station can be found on your poll card.
Alternatively, please ring 01375 652816 and ask for details.
7) When is the election?
The Local Elections take place on Thursday 3rd May 2007.
8) I thought I had voted and now I can't get to my polling station on the day of the elections - what can I do?
The polling stations are open for longer periods than usual for Local Elections. You can visit your polling station from 7am in the morning until 10pm at night.
The legal closing date to register for a postal vote was 18th April 2007. Therefore, the Council is unable to process any applications for postal votes for this year's elections at this time.
However, if the reason you are unable to attend the polling station is linked to a medical incapacity that has only arisen after Friday 27th April, it may be possible to issue you with a proxy and enable someone to vote to your behalf.
Please ring 01375 652816 for further information.
9) This is very confusing, why can't I just use the postal vote you have sent me?
The law changed this year and required every voter who wanted to vote by post to have sent in forms that provided the signature and date of birth of the voter. This was designed to prevent postal vote fraud.
All voters who were registered as wanting to vote by post in previous years were sent letters asking for this information. If the information was not returned to the Council, they should have been sent polling cards and not postal vote packs.
The Council has sent you a postal vote pack in error. By law the Council is not allowed to accept this vote because the identity information which the Council had to have by 18th April was not received. This information is needed to check that the correct person has used that postal vote. Unfortunately the Council is not allowed to accept identity information now. In order to vote, you must go to your polling station on 3 May 2007.
10) Why have I got two postal votes?
Those electors who did not return their new identifier form, or chose not to vote by post for future elections, should have been deleted before the initial list of postal voters was sent to the printers. After the list was sent, the deletion list was then run to update the computer system, and then showed the correct and up to date information. The Elector would have been sent a letter stating their postal vote has been deleted. Afterwards, some electors would have reapplied to have a postal vote, and the system was updated to show them having reapplied, and the second ballot paper would have then been issued.
However, only one vote will be counted, the other rejected.
As explained above, the Council is scanning all statements received with each vote. If you have voted twice and sent in both postal vote packs, you will have completed two statements. When the second statement is scanned, an error message will appear which advises the first statement has been scanned and your second vote will be retrieved and removed from the votes to be counted.
11) If I have 2 postal votes why do I have a poll card?
This is because you will have rung up the Electoral Services Team and requested a postal vote after your poll card was printed.
You will not be able to vote at the polling station, as your name will be marked as being an "absent voter". This is a voter who has chosen to use a postal vote.
If you wish to vote you should use one of the postal votes you have received and either post it in time to arrive by 3 May 2007, or deliver it to the Civic Offices, New Road, Grays, RM17 6SL (until 7pm) or the Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane, Grays from 7pm until 10pm on 3 May 2007 where it will be placed in the Postal Voters Ballot Box. It does not matter which of the 2 ballot papers you complete. One (and only one) will be accepted if it is otherwise correctly completed and received by 10pm on 3 May 2007. In either event you must comply with the instructions as to the ballot paper and the use of envelopes A and B.
12) Does this mean people can use two votes each?
No. It will not be possible for a voter to vote twice, nor for both votes to be counted
If someone sends in two postal votes, the second vote will be picked up and removed from the process.
13) I don't have a valid postal vote but I have lost or thrown out my poll card and want to vote at the polling station. Can I still vote?
Yes, it is not necessary to take your poll card to the polling station. Just give the polling station staff your name and address and they will check your name on the register and give you a ballot paper.
14) How much money has this error cost to taxpayers in Thurrock?
At this stage is has not been possible to calculate the amount, however, a review will take place after the Elections have taken place to ensure that we improve our systems to avoid any errors happening in the future. At the end of this process this information can be provided upon request.
15) What will the Council do differently next year to stop this happening again?
The Council intends to learn from how the initial error occurred in order to improve the service to Council customers. We will be reviewing the procedures currently in place to consider where checks and balances can be introduced to spot these types of errors in future.
The Council is sorry for any inconvenience to voters in the elections and intends to ensure this will not happen in future.
16) Why have I got a letter saying I have tried to use my vote?
Where votes have been rejected in the system a check is made against the list of voters who received a postal vote in error. This step is taken to ensure that you vote using the correct method. If your name was on the list and you have tried to use your vote, a letter is sent to you reminding you that you must go to the polling station.
17) I still have some questions - who can I contact?
You can ring the Electoral Services team on 01375 652816.
The team will be happy to answer any further queries you may have.
ENDS
