Human error has been blamed for the delay in sending out 2,600 postal votes in North West Essex constituency ahead of Thursday’s general election.
The chief executive of Uttlesford District Council (UDC), who acts as the area’s returning officer in elections, has apologised, but said people still had time to receive their ballot papers.
Peter Holt said he was “mortified” by the mistake, which mainly affects the Chelmsford wards, and that the authority was trying to resolve the matter by hand-delivering ballots. But he warned that a close result on election night could be challenged if a large proportion were not returned.
In a statement he said: “I am mortified. I take full responsibility for it and I cannot apologise too much.”
The former Saffron Walden constituency, which encompassed Uttlesford, was altered in the 2023 review of parliamentary constituencies carried out by the Boundary Commission for England.
In being renamed North West Essex it has lost ground to Harlow – which takes on the wards of Broad Oak and the Hallingburys and Hatfield Heath while Braintree has swallowed up Felsted, Stebbing and the Sampfords.
The constituency has, however, has gained the Chelmsford wards of Boreham and The Leighs; Broomfield and The Walthams; Chelmsford Rural West and Writtle, although overall the total number of voters has dropped from 87,000 to 76,280.
A UDC spokesperson said a course of action was now in place and it was not too late for people to request their ballot papers. “We are aware that some Chelmsford residents who are registered to vote in the North West Essex constituency have experienced a delay in receiving their postal votes.
Anyone in these areas who has not yet received their postal vote should get it on Saturday, or Monday at the latest. This should still give enough time for ballot papers and forms to be returned – we would advise that they do not wait too long to post it back.
“Where the boundary changes have happened something hasn’t tallied up, we found out about it and as soon as we knew we rectified it straight away.”
Anyone who has not received their postal vote by Monday, should contact Uttlesford District Council on 01799 510510 to request a reissue of their ballot paper which will be hand delivered the same day.
If anyone is going on holiday and is concerned that their postal vote will not reach them in time, they should contact Uttlesford District Council as soon as possible so we can explore a solution, such as same-day hand delivery.
If anyone is worried that they have run out of time to send their vote by mail, they can also drop off their postal vote at any polling station in the constituency by 10pm on 4 July or to the main council offices in either Chelmsford or Saffron Walden. Anyone handing in their postal vote in person will need to fill out a postal vote handling form provided by polling station staff/council office reception staff, otherwise their vote can't be accepted. Up to five postal votes (in addition to their own) can be handed in as long as they are not a candidate, party worker or campaigner.