Fury as pensioner, 98, refused 'last ever vote' at polling station entrance
When Flora Kelsey's postal vote failed to arrive on time, she made the effort of physically going to the polling station herself - to be told she still cannot vote.
A furious grandmother was left unable to vote in what could be her last time ever - all thanks to a complicated administration error. Flora Kelsey, 98, visited a polling station in Edinburgh, Scotland, to cast her vote - something she had done since the age of 21.
She made the journey to place her vote in-person after her postal ballot failed to arrive. But when she got there, staff denied her the chance. Ms Kelsey had gone with her grandson George in the hope an emergency proxy vote would do the trick.
But after being shunned of her democratic right, she told the LDRS: "I feel I ought to vote for my country. I just feel my hands are tied, I don't know what to do now".
Amid numerous reports of missing voting packs across the UK, Scottish councils are said to have sprung into action, providing facilities to re-issue packs and enable voting.
But for Ms Kelsey, the efforts fell short. She added: "I don't feel I can go very much further, I'm tired, I don't know what's happened."
Despite the Electoral Commission's reassurance earlier in the week about no widespread problem regarding postal votes, the minister responsible for postal affairs acknowledged "a resourcing issue" with Royal Mail.
To cope with the fiasco, Edinburgh City Council opened the emergency unit at the City Chambers last weekend, offering assistance until 5pm on July 4.
The grandmother added: "We still think of our country. We're not all dumb when we get to 90. We've done our best, we can do no more," reports Edinburgh Live.
Explaining the issue she had faced, her grandson added: "I filled the form in, we brought it along and we've just been told that doesn't work. Emergency vote by proxy, because she's got a postal vote she's been ticked off the register because she has to vote by postal vote.
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He continued: "But now we're stuck, we've been given two different numbers, each of which we've phoned twice today and it doesn't seem as though there's anything we can do.
"The chap said to get a replacement postal vote she would have to get into the City Chambers, I couldn't go and pick it up on her behalf, and I think we're giving up at this point."
Mr Kelsey mentioned that several residents at his grandmother's nursing home also hadn't received their postal ballot. Ms Kelsey expressed her disappointment, stating she has "always voted" and this election could be "my last opportunity to vote".
Edinburgh Council was contacted for comment.
