Postal vote issue in Cardiff could affect voters, council confirms

A problem with postal vote deliveries in Cardiff could affect some voters ahead of this week’s Senedd election, the city council has confirmed.

The issue relates to a batch of postal vote packs that were sent out as part of a second mailing, with some voters reporting that they had not received their ballots.

Cardiff Council said it was aware of the problem and has apologised, adding that replacement packs will now be delivered by hand.

A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of an issue affecting some voters whose postal vote packs were dispatched in the second mailing. We apologise for this inconvenience.

“To ensure you receive your postal vote in time, we will be hand-delivering postal vote packs on Tuesday 5 May 2026.”

The authority said voters who receive their packs will still be able to return them by post, hand them to delivery staff, or take them to a polling station on election day.

However, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have warned that the disruption could prevent some people from voting, particularly those who are away from home.

Party canvassers said they had spoken to a number of voters in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency who had applied for postal votes but had not received them.

One voter, cited by the party, said they were due to return to university in England before the re-delivery date and would miss the opportunity to vote.

Liberal Democrat lead candidate for the constituency, Cllr Rodney Berman, described the situation as “a scandal”.

He said: “Many people who applied to vote by post may have been robbed of their democratic voice.

“People have done what we ask them to and engaged with the democratic process and the system has let them down.

“Once the election is over, there must be a full investigation into how this was allowed to happen, to ensure that people are never disenfranchised in this way again.”

Reprint

Cardiff Council said it had requested a reprint of affected postal vote packs and raised the issue with both its printers and Royal Mail.

Voters who receive their ballots on Tuesday will be able to complete and return them by post or hand them in at any polling station in Cardiff between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 7 May.

The council added that anyone with concerns should contact its electoral services team for further guidance.