VOTERS in an area of Basingstoke have been issued with a new ballot paper for today's elections following a printing error.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has announced that residents in Brookvale and Kings Furlong who requested a postal vote have now received a new peach coloured ballot paper for the local election, and are being reminded to return these.

They were reprinted and reissued following an external printing error in which the wrong information on the candidates was printed. Those who have already voted need to vote again using the new ballot paper.

Postal votes must be received by 10pm today, so those who have not posted the peach ballot paper already should take it in its envelope to their local polling station or put it in the post box at the Borough Council Civic Offices, in London Road.

Any votes made on the incorrect yellow ballot paper for Brookvale and Kings Furlong will not be counted.

The council said it was made aware of the error the day after the ballot papers were sent out.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s returning officer Laura Taylor said: “An external printing error resulted in some residents with a postal vote in the Brookvale and Kings Furlong ward receiving the wrong candidate information on their borough election ballot paper. On being notified of this error the council investigated immediately and took the decision to cancel and reissue all of the postal vote ballot papers in this ward to rectify the matter. 

“Letters explaining what happened, as well as a new peach coloured postal vote was sent to those residents affected. Only the votes on the peach coloured ballot papers will be counted so residents must return this new ballot paper, even if they have already voted.

“The council follows a strict process with rigorous checking at all stages when issuing all ballot papers and poll cards and it is through quick action and the assistance of the members of the public who notified us, that we were able to resolve this external error promptly.”