WIREDGOV

The Electoral Commission issued a statement on 2^nd June 2016 to outline the actions that had been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales that meant some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received poll cards and, in some instances, postal votes.

The Commission can confirm that according to information it has received so far, 3,462 electors were affected by this issue. We are still waiting for confirmation from 6 local authorities about whether they were affected and, if so, the figures will be updated once we receive this information.

The software provider has resolved the issue which means that, if any postal votes have been issued to these electors, they will be cancelled and none of these electors will be shown as eligible on the electoral registers to be used at polling stations on 23 June. All of the affected electors will also be written to by their local Electoral Registration Officer with an explanation of what happened and will be told that they will not be able to vote at the referendum.

For further information contact Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 or press@electoralcommission.org.uk Out of office hours 07789 920 414

Notes to editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendum held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).