General election: What to do if you're going on holiday and haven't received your postal vote in time

With the end of the school term now upon us, families up and down the country are getting ready to jet off on their summer holidays.

However, with the general election set for the first week of the Scottish school break, many parents and teachers were forced to put in a last-minute application for a postal vote.

So, what should you do if you’re about to go on holiday and haven’t received your postal vote?

What is happening?

When Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a July 4 election, many raised concerns over the fact this falls during the school summer holidays for many in Scotland.

Those who are away on holiday need to instead apply for a postal vote.

The deadline to apply for this was 19 June - just a month after the date of the election was set.

I’ve already applied - should I have it by now?

Not necessarily - there is still time. Royal Mail says postal votes should arrive by Saturday 29 June at the latest.

Those who applied before 7 June should have received their voting pack last week, but those who applied after this date will get their pack in a second dispatch of forms. 

A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission said: “Local authorities and Royal Mail are working to get these out to postal voters as quickly as possible.

“As is the case at all elections, given the electoral timetable, there is a short window of time for administrators to prepare and dispatch postal votes.

“It is not uncommon for all postal ballots to not have arrived at this point.”

Who is affected?

A number of councils have already raised concerns that many of their residents haven’t received their postal votes in time.

Western Isles, Fife, Glasgow City and Inverclyde have all spoken publicly on this, and some say the delays are due to “national disruption”.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “We have a specialist elections team that plans every aspect of the elections delivery programmes and works closely with local authorities to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.”

What should I do?

The Electoral Commission recommends anyone in this situation gets in touch with their local elections team.

Most local elections teams can be found by getting in touch with your local council.

The Electoral Commission says these local teams can advise on what options are available.

An Electoral Commission spokeswoman said: “If a voter’s postal ballot pack does not arrive in time, there may still be options available to voters, such as requesting a replacement from their local authority.

“If voters are concerned their postal vote won’t be sent back in time, they also have the option of handing their postal pack to their polling station on polling day.

“People with concerns about their postal vote can contact their local authority.”

Can I still apply for an emergency proxy vote instead?

A proxy vote is when someone you trust goes to the polling station and votes on your behalf.

The deadline to apply for this was 26 June, however emergency proxy votes can be applied for up until 5pm on polling day.

However, anyone who cannot vote because they are on holiday and haven’t received their postal vote in time cannot use this option - emergency proxy votes are only granted in specific, extreme, circumstances.