Brits ‘wrongly’ told they can vote tomorrow after IT glitch
Some people who are not on the electoral register have been wrongly told they can vote in tomorrow’s election due to an IT error.
The Electoral Commission confirmed that a “small number” of people had been affected by the mistake, but did not specify a number.
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It is understood that the error, first reported by the BBC, was caused by IT firm Civica, which provides software services to some local authorities.
A spokesperson for Civica said the firm’s “highly adaptable” electoral management software used in some constituencies “had system settings that could result in people who had made an application after the deadline being included on the electoral list”.
They added that Civica is working with authorities to ensure “the election registers for polling day will be produced accurately, and only those people who are eligible and correctly registered will be able to cast their vote”.
The Electoral Commission also said it has issued guidelines for authorities to ensure that people affected are contacted and given the correct information.
“Only those eligible and correctly registered will be able to cast their vote on polling day,” it said in a statement.
The software snafu comes as the party leaders near the end of the final day of campaigning before the election tomorrow.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson began his day before sunrise by doing a milkround in south Yorkshire.
He also visited a bakery in Derbyshire, where he said the election “could not be tighter” and that only a vote for the Tories would deliver Brexit.
Jeremy Corybn was in Glasgow, where he told a rally that a Labour government would “eliminate child poverty, give hope to the next generation and invest properly in education all across the UK”.
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Meanwhile, Jo Swinson visited the Surrey constituency of Esher and Walton this morning, where the Liberal Democrats are a chance at toppling foreign secretary Dominic Raab.
The latest poll by YouGov suggested a narrowing of the Tories’ lead, predicting that the Conservatives would win 339 seats for a majority of 28 seats. The same poll just two weeks ago predicted a 68-seat majority.