Cardiff Council Confirms 1,388 Senedd Postal Votes Not Printed Before Election
Cardiff Council has admitted that 1,388 postal vote packs intended for the Welsh Parliament election were not printed, directly contradicting earlier assurances from its contracted print provider, Civica.
This failure specifically impacts electors in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Caerdydd Penarth constituencies. Initially, the council had stated it received assurances from Civica that all data was correctly processed and packs dispatched to Royal Mail. However, Royal Mail maintained that the affected ballot papers were never received for delivery.
Following further discussions, Cardiff Council confirmed the print run for supplementary voting packs, scheduled for the previous week, did not fully occur. The immediate priority, according to the council, is to ensure affected voters can still cast their ballots.
Replacement packs have been hand-delivered by council staff, with a limited number sent via priority mail. Voters can return completed postal vote packs to any polling station or County Hall until 22:00 BST on Thursday. However, those unable to return to Cardiff before the election will be unable to vote, as no provision exists to cancel existing postal vote arrangements for an emergency proxy.
The incident has drawn criticism from political parties across the spectrum, with the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, Welsh Labour, Welsh Conservatives, Reform, and the Green party all expressing significant concern over the potential for voter disenfranchisement.
The Electoral Commission has indicated it will include this incident in its statutory report on the Senedd election, examining returning officer performance and potentially making recommendations to the Welsh Government.
