A SCOT living in Belgium has said she is “the very idea of an inclusive democracy for Scotland as part of the UK is a joke”, after postal vote delays has left her unable to vote in the General Election.
Zoe Dingwall is from the Dundee Central constituency and currently lives in Belgium, where she applied for a postal vote so that she could vote in the election.
On June 18, Dingwall (below) was advised by her local electoral office that everything was in order, but her postal vote has not arrived, meaning she will be unable to vote in the election as the ballot must be returned by July 4.
“I am extremely angry that my voice will be silenced in this General Election, and I believe it is a deliberate attempt to reduce and remove the voice of Scotland as far as possible,” Dingwall told The National.
It comes as John Swinney said the Conservatives had “disenfranchised” voters in Scotland, as the short notice of the election – combined with the start of school holidays in Scotland – has meant the postal vote system has been unable to keep up with demand.
Many Scots living abroad – like Dingwall – and those who have already left for their holidays before receiving a postal vote will be unable to vote in the election as a result of the chaos.
READ MORE: Patrick Harvie blames 'deeply irresponsible' Rishi Sunak for postal vote 'chaos
Dingwall said the delays in issuing postal votes shows how many Scottish voters have been “democratically suppressed”.
She added: “Scotland already suffers from a massive democratic deficit but combined with the controversial voter ID implementation and now the failure of RM, the very concept of an inclusive democracy for Scotland as part of the UK is a joke.
“I am very angry at being so democratically disenfranchised, unable to exercise my democratic rights in neither Belgium (because of Brexit) nor Scotland in the UK General Election.
“In my opinion, since both Labour and the Tories refuse to embrace proportional representation, the sooner that the Scottish Government secedes from this miserable excuse of a ‘democracy’ would be all the better for Scotland and our children's future.”
Dingwall continued: “If I was able to vote I would continue to stick with the SNP because despite all the mud-throwing, they have done a much better job of protecting the vulnerable than in England with a cash-strapped budget which is of course deliberately done to undermine the SNP Scottish Government and overburden local councils.”
She called on Royal Mail to reimburse all payments made to them “in good faith” by local council electoral offices.
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