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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think the postal votes should have been sent out by now?

69 replies

KitKat1985 · 30/05/2017 16:26

So, I usually do postal voting as I historically work double shifts on a Thursday so no time to get to the polling booth on election days (which are always on a Thursday it seems). Usually this arrives 2-3 weeks before the election / referendum date. My postal vote this year still hasn't yet arrived, despite the election being next week. I phoned about it just now and he said they were still sending them out and I'd 'probably' get it in the next few days. AIBU to think this is a bit pants? What if I was going on a weeks holiday later on this week or something (which obviously a lot of people who will have applied for a postal vote this election may well be). You'd literally not be able to get the form in time before you left. It just seems a it rubbish. AIBU?

OP posts:

bigbluebus · 30/05/2017 21:30

DS's has been on the kitchen worktop for at least a week - probably longer.

superj · 30/05/2017 21:35

Still waiting on mine, going on holiday so if it doesn't arrive tomorrow then no vote for me...

LauderSyme · 30/05/2017 22:00

singme you're right, unfortunately the deadline for changing from a postal to a proxy vote has passed.

I work for a borough council. We sent our postal ballot papers out last Friday. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in preparing for and running an election. This one was announced on 18th April, giving electoral officers only 7 weeks to organise a huge task, hence very tight deadlines.

We advised everyone who asked about it whether they would be away from home after 26th May as, if they would be, a postal vote would be unsuitable due to not receiving the ballot paper in time. Unfortunately not everyone affected asked the question.

FreeSpiritJen · 30/05/2017 22:00

Yep should be here by now. Everyone I know (5 people actually!) who do it by post, got them 2 weeks ago. The election is next Thursday!

Ring the electoral office!

busyboysmum · 30/05/2017 22:01

I'm in Manchester and ours came last week. We've already sent them back.

LauderSyme · 30/05/2017 22:06

Most elections/referendums are timetabled well ahead of the actual date, hence everything can be organised farther in advance. Unlike a snap election.

AuditAngel · 30/05/2017 22:11

Mine arrived early last week and has gone in. DH's hasn't arrived. He asked me to let them know. He can go to the Civic Centre on Friday (with ID) to collect a replacement, and complete it there and hand it in if he chooses.

TheFlis12345 · 30/05/2017 22:11

Got mine last week and posted it back today.

n0ne · 30/05/2017 22:12

I got mine on 19th and I live abroad

CatsRidingRollercoasters · 30/05/2017 22:13

I got mine at the start of last week and have already posted it back.

As long as you get it by the 7th then you can ask someone else to hand deliver it for you. You can go to any polling station in your constituency (and possibly any within your LA?) I have often hand delivered mine and DH's postal votes on election day.

It is crap for people who will be away though if they still haven't received it and now it's too late to request a proxy.

I'd definitely chase it up if I were you, just in case. Hope it comes soon!

AChickenCalledKorma · 30/05/2017 22:14

Announcing an election with seven weeks' notice means that councils have had zero opportunity to recruit and train extra staff (even if they could afford it), so the same people that organised the May 4th elections are also organising this one. And there was a big overlap, so they had to start work on the general election while the locals we're still running. In this area, we also had three local referendums on various issues.

There is a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes and it all has to be done with 100% accuracy and in accordance with about a million regulations.

By all means ring the council and check what's going on but please be nice. They have been handed a massive challenge and are almost certainly working flat out to make it happen.

Zone2mum · 30/05/2017 22:16

I haven't received mine yet. Getting antsy about it as I am away nedt week: while reason I requested the flipping thing.

FlipflopsOrWellieboots · 30/05/2017 22:20

I phoned up for my ddad's and they are sending out the second and last batch today in his area.....

maras2 · 30/05/2017 22:25

Received mine on Thursday 25th.

Sciurus83 · 30/05/2017 22:27

Not had mine yet but I applied on the last day

AllFurCoatNoKnockers · 30/05/2017 22:28

My borough said they weren't dispatching them until after the 26th. Mine and DH's arrived on Saturday.

HappyWombat · 30/05/2017 22:35

We haven't received ours yet, but we are in Australia. Hoping it arrives today or tomorrow or there won't be time to get it back. We're moving back to the UK in August/September, so it'd be nice to have a say.

Scholes34 · 30/05/2017 22:42

AChickencalledKorma is spot on. Rest assured, election staff aren't sitting on their backsides twiddling their thumbs. This all came at very short notice. Lots of checking and double checking needs to be done and postal votes will be sent out in batches, not as and when someone registers. A proxy vote for overseas voters would be more sensible.

MargotsDevil · 30/05/2017 22:45

I didn't vote in the last GE because they were so late sending them out. They wouldn't discuss it with you until it was within so many days of election - but by then it was too late to fix so I wasn't able to vote.

JustMuddlingOn · 30/05/2017 22:45

Haven't had ours yet and going away on friday so really hoping they arrive soon!

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 30/05/2017 22:48

Mine arrived 16 May!

Original poster

KitKat1985 · 31/05/2017 08:31

Hi, just seen all the replies. Yes I do appreciate the short notice will have meant the council staff are working flat out, and I was very polite to the man I spoke to yesterday, as I know it's not their fault personally. But I can see that there are going to be people who won't get to vote in this election due to not getting their voting slip before leaving the country for holidays, work, etc; so it's a real shame for those people.

OP posts:

mumeeee · 31/05/2017 08:34

I got mine last week. All sorted now

AChickenCalledKorma · 31/05/2017 09:05

KitKat to be honest, I suspect you are right. And I really feel for my election colleagues who will move heaven and earth to get things done on time, but will still get it in the neck if people miss out. I was with one of them last night - he was taking the official record of a council meeting that probably didn't finish till gone 10pm. Normally those meetings don't happen during a pre-election period, but thanks to Theresa they are now having to juggle regular council business with all the election administration that is normally a job in itself.

ShotsFired · 31/05/2017 09:11

I got mine and sent it back ages ago. A friend temporarily in Shanghai has also had and returned hers from there!

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