Some Conservative party members have been issued with more than one ballot paper to vote for the next party leader, according to reports.
It is estimated that more than a thousand voters could be affected by the errors, with ballot papers recently dispatched to 160,000 Conservative party members across the country.
The vote closes on 22 July, with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt set to be announced as Prime Minister the following day.
BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme found that some members had received multiple ballot papers, in some cases due to being registered with Conservative Associations in multiple areas. Members who have changed their name may also have been affected, according to reports.
The Conservative Party has said “The ballot holds clear instructions that members voting more than once will be expelled”.
In most elections, voting twice would be illegal, however, this leadership election is only governed by the internal rules of the Conservative Party, rather than by the Electoral Commission.
Photo: Downing Street | Credit: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0]
