Thousands of Britons left unable to vote after ballot papers go missing

Thousands of Britons were left unable to vote after ballot papers in Wales went missing.

More than 1,300 voters in Wales who had applied to receive postal votes for the Senedd elections had not received their ballot papers, Cardiff Council has said.

Royal Mail has said the ballot papers had not been printed and given to them to send out to voters in the constituencies of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Caerdydd Penarth.

The Labour-run Cardiff Council has insisted it is treating the matter as an "urgent priority" to ensure affected voters could "exercise their democratic right".

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Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys - who said he has yet to receive his ballot paper - lambasted the "fiasco", writing on social media that it was "disappointing" that he would likely be unable to vote before he heads on tour.

He wrote: "I know many others in the same situation. At worst in a tight election it could even tip the balance of power. It’s really disappointing as this is a critical election."

A number of replacement ballot packs are said to have been hand-delivered, with some also being sent through priority mail.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Cardiff Council said: "Following further discussions with the local authority’s contracted print provider it has been confirmed that while the relevant data was received from the council, the print run for the supplementary voting packs scheduled for last week did not fully take place.

“Initially this resulted in 1,388 packs not being delivered to electors in Cardiff, in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Caerdydd Penarth constituencies.

"To put that into context, almost 47,000 postal vote packs have been issued in recent weeks, and to date, more than 26,500 completed packs have already been returned."

The local authority insisted it was "working urgently to investigate the issue" and had "received assurances" from its print provider that data for the ballots had been received and handed over to Royal Mail.

But the postal service later disputed the claim, saying they "were not printed and, as such, were never handed over to Royal Mail for delivery".

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It added: "All ballot packs received by Royal Mail in the area have been processed and delivered as expected."

Cardiff Council confirmed that those affected who are not able to return to the city before polling stations close will be unable to vote.

It said: "Unfortunately, for those now away from home, there is no provision at this stage to cancel an existing postal vote arrangement in order to apply for an emergency proxy".

The Electoral Commission told the BBC it would "prepare a statutory report on all aspects of the Senedd election", adding that issues surrounding postal votes will be considered.

Welsh Labour described the developments as "very concerning" and urged Cardiff Council to ensure "[the postal ballots] are returned in good time".

The party has been tipped to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since the Welsh Parliament's formation in 1999.

Plaid Cymru is projected to be the most successful party in Wales, with Labour dropping down two places to third and Reform UK sitting second, according to a poll published by The Telegraph.

Despite chatter of growing popularity for the Greens in Wales, it is forecast they will win just three seats.

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