General election 2024: Emergency polling booth at City Chambers stays open for missing postal votes

An emergency polling booth set up at Edinburgh City Chambers for people whose postal votes did not arrive on time is to stay open right through until polling day.

It was in operation over the weekend for people who were going away on holiday but had not received their voting packs and faced the prospect of being unable to take part in the election. About 370 people turned up to get a replacement pack and fill in their ballot papers there and then.

There was a huge increase in demand for postal votes because polling day falls during the school holidays. | TSPL

Some people were reportedly even in a cab on their way to the airport when they stopped off at the City Chambers to vote.

There has been a huge increase in demand for postal votes at this general election because polling day falls during the school holidays. In Edinburgh the number of postal votes issued soared from 72,664 at the last general election to 103,581 this time - an increase of 42.5 per cent - meaning nearly 31,000 extra ballots to be printed, distributed and eventually processed.  

A city council spokesman said it was expected the vast majority of voting packs would now have been delivered, but the emergency vote centre would remain available for the next few days.

“We’re going to keep it open for people just in case, up until polling day. We’re not expecting a huge amount of uptake. But the facility will stay open in case people have lost ther postal pack, it hasn’t arrived or they have accidentally spoiled it.”

The council is advising people who have received their voting packs to fill in and return their ballot paper by post as soon as possible. But anyone whose pack has not yet arrived is urged to go to the City Chambers.

The emergency centre will be open from 9am to 5pm every day, including polling day on Thursday.