Voters at a polling station in Glasgow were faced with posters displaying incorrect instructions for their ballot on Thursday morning as the General Election got under way.
Members of the public attending the station at Notre Dame Primary School were met with posters asking them to number candidates in order of preference.
Glasgow City Council said the error only affected the “first few voters” of the day.
This voting method is known as Single Transferable Vote and is used in local elections in Scotland.
The General Election is decided using the first-past-the-post voting method which only requires voters to put an ‘X’ in the box of their preferred candidate.
A concerned voter told STV that instructions telling people to number the candidates had been left in some booths while others had no instructions at all.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The error was spotted very soon after the polling station opened and after the first few voters.
“It was replaced with the correct information.
“No one has been disenfranchised as the first preference will be taken from the ballot paper.”
The Electoral Managemenrt Board for Scotland has said any ballots submitted would be valid
“On a paper marked with numbers the clear preference would be for the candidate numbered 1,” Chris Highcock, secretary to the EMB, said.
When do polling stations open and close?
Polling stations everywhere in the UK will open from 7am on Thursday until 10pm that night.
Where is my polling station?
You should have received this information in your polling card but it’s easily found online.
Just head to the Electoral Commission’s website here, type in your postcode and it’ll give you the details for your polling station.
Do I need to bring ID?
Yes. This is the first time Scots will have to show ID in an election. Don’t forget it or you won’t be able to vote.
What ID do I need to bring?
There’s a large variety of ID types accepted by the UK Government, including bus passes and driving licences.
Accepted forms of ID
-
A UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional) - A driving licence issued by an EU country Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands.
- A UK passport
- A passport issued by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
- A PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- A Blue Badge
- A biometric residence permit (BRP)
- A Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
- A national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- A Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
- A Voter Authority Certificate
- An Anonymous Elector’s Document
Travel passes that are accepted as photo ID
- An older person’s bus pass
- A disabled person’s bus pass
- An Oyster 60+ card
- A Freedom Pass
- A Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
- A 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- A Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- A Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass
A full list can be found here.
What if I forgot to send my postal vote?
If you’re unable to send away your postal vote on time you can take it down to your polling station.
As long as it’s in before 10pm you should be okay.
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