Peterborough elections: 'Wrong' postal voting ballot papers issued

Peterborough City Council said new ballot forms would be sent out on Wednesday

About 400 incorrect postal voting ballot papers have been sent out in Peterborough, the city council said.

Peterborough City Council said its contracted printers posted a batch of "wrong" forms to voters in North, Park and Stanground East wards.

The council blamed "human error" and new forms will be issued on Wednesday along with an apology.

It said the election night would not be compromised. Print UK was unavailable for comment.

Proxy votes unaffected

The council said the papers had been put in the wrong envelopes and added the error would not cost it any money.

The spokesman said: "If they [voters] try to use them to vote they will be discounted as invalid.

"If they have already voted they will have to vote again with new ballot papers that are being sent by first class post."

Asked how the mistake had happened, he said: "Human error at the printers.

"We understand a batch of ballot papers were put in the wrong envelope by somebody working there," he said.

He said the council's working relationship with the printers was good and it had used the firm in some large elections in the past three years.

The council has written to each of the candidates, spoken to their agents and apologised.

The error does not affect people with proxy votes.