A printing error has resulted in a small proportion of postal vote packs being issued with the wrong instruction sheet. The incorrect instruction sheet states that voters should select just one candidate, when in fact voters can select up to three candidates. The instructions printed on the ballot papers themselves are correct.

We are committed to ensuring that not one single voter loses a single vote. We are therefore writing urgently to each affected voter to explain the error and give them the correct instructions. We are also taking steps to ensure that no further incorrect instructions are issued.

This problem only relates to those postal voters who received their packs on Saturday, April 14. If you received your ballot paper on this day, you will hear from us shortly. If you have already returned your ballot and believe you have voted in error, please contact our Electoral Services team on 020 8489 1000. We will cancel your ballot and issue a replacement ballot paper to you.

All other postal vote applicants should receive their voter packs at the end of this week, containing all of the correct information and instructions.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

Frequently asked questions:

How did this happen?

Voting instructions are generic across local authorities. However, the printers accidentally used instructions written for local authorities with only one seat in each ward, as opposed to the three per ward in Haringey.

How many people are affected?

We are still calculating the exact numbers, but we believe that approximately 900 voter packs were issued in error, from more than 22,000 applications.

How can you be sure that people won’t now try to vote twice?

We will only issue replacement ballot papers once we have cancelled an original ballot.

How can you be sure only some voters are affected?

We hand-deliver our postal vote packs. As soon as we became aware of the printing error, we ceased distribution.

What are you doing to rectify the problem?

For the wrongly-issued instruction packs, we are writing directly to those affected to alert them to the error and advise them that they should select up to three candidates, in accordance with the instructions on the ballot paper.

For the remaining 21,000+ postal vote packs, these will be distributed containing the correct instructions.

How many incorrect ballots have already been returned to you?

We have yet to receive any incorrect ballots. We are writing to all affected voters to ensure that they have the correct information.

One Response to Local Election 2018 – postal votes

  1. Alan Stanton says:

    Oh, so now it’s the printers who made the mistake.

    How very convenient. Because of course, nobody ever thinks to check when very important stuff comes back from the printers. Nobody would ever dream of reading something through, would they? Because if they had, wouldn’t this obvious stupidity have jumped off the page?
    So, as usual, no responsibility whatever is taken by Haringey’s leaders for a mess-up.

    But this isn’t the first time Haringey made such an error is it? It seems that nobody at Claire Kober’s Council noticed that the same error was made in the patronising animated video that Haringey published in January 2018 on the Council’s own YouTube channel? There we see a rather silly cartoon ballot paper. A voice-over explains how electors are supposed to “mark” their single cross on the ballot paper.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSlQNvzVHvM

    Yes, just the one.
    https://twitter.com/AlanStanton_/status/985955516022231040

    Did they know this back in January? They did indeed. When they published the video, guess how many elections were scheduled in Haringey during 2018?
    Only the borough council elections on 3 May 2018. When ALL electors in Haringey will get three votes.

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