Polling card blunder

Thousands of electors in Tadley, Baughurst, Kingsclere and Headley did not receive polling cards because a "data error" meant they were never printed.

The cards confirm the elector's right to vote and indicate the polling station he or she should attend.

Embarrassed election chiefs at Basingstoke and Deane and Test Valley Borough Councils said the error arose because the name and addresses of those eligible to vote were not successfully transferred to the printing company.

The mistake has prompted Basingstoke and Deane council to send out an emergency mailshot, letting the 11,616 registered voters who did not receive a polling card know that they can still vote.

Among the voters not receiving a card was sales manager Mike Harnetty, of The Litten, Kingsclere.

The 59-year-old said: "No one's got their polling cards and no one knows where to vote. We normally vote in The Village Club but that's being refurbished."

He said he would still vote, but was worried some people might not bother because they don't have their card.

Kate Draper, the landlady of The George and Horn pub in Kingsclere, said the blunder nearly stopped her from voting for the first time.

The 25-year-old former corporal in the Royal Logistic Corps said: "I thought I had to receive my polling card through the post. I would have been waiting for it to come through and another year would have gone by without me voting."

According to returning officers, the polling card blunder only affects voters in parts of the North West Hampshire parliamentary constituency, where Sir George Young is defending the 13,264 majority he secured in 2005. Polling cards for the local elections have not been affected.

Sir George told The Gazette: "I think it is very unfortunate that there has been this mix-up, because it may discourage some people from exercising their democratic right."

He said he spent a lot of time, while canvassing on Tuesday, reassuring people in Tadley that they could vote without polling cards.

Borough councillor David Leeks, who represents Tadley South ward, said he would be asking what went wrong. He said: "We are now the forgotten electorate."

The General Election in the North West Hampshire constituency is being handled by Test Valley Borough Council, based in Andover. But its polling card printing company was relying on data supplied by Basingstoke and Deane.

Basingstoke council officials said they provided the information in the same way they provided it to their own printing agent, for the Basingstoke constituency vote, and to the company used by Hart District Council, which is handling material for the North East Hampshire constituency election.

Officials are still attempting to establish why some, but not all, of the data sent to Test Valley's printing agent did not end up on cards.

Yesterday, letters began landing on the doormats of voters who had not received polling cards telling them they could still vote.

Basingstoke council's electoral registration officer Dorcas Bunton said: "It is important residents understand that as long as they have registered on the electoral register, they can vote. Registered residents do not need a polling card to vote.

"People can check they are on the register by contacting either Test Valley or Basingstoke and Deane borough councils."

The emergency mailshot cost Basingstoke and Deane £3,994, and officials will be sitting down with Test Valley council staff after the election to make sure there is no repeat of the embarrassing bungle. They will also have to work out which organisation pays for the mistake.

This is the second electoral bungle involving Basingstoke council in a fortnight. Council officials hand delivered 842 new postal ballots for the Whitchurch ward borough election 11 days ago because a misprint on the originals put the Liberal Democrat logo beside both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative candidates.

*Kingsclere electors can vote at both The Village Club, in George Street, and the Fieldgate Centre, in Fieldgate Drive.