Yahoo Finance Blunder Sees Voters Turned Away In Barnet
Hundreds of voters were turned away from 155 polling stations in north London after a mistake meant names were missing from voting lists.
People in Barnet who tried to cast their votes before going to work were told to go away and "return later if possible".
Among them was the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who was turned away and unable to return because he was flying out to Amsterdam.
Earlier this week he had lambasted Labour for what he described as a "severe" problem with anti-Semitism as the row engulfing the party hit crisis point.
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Staff at polling stations had been told there had been a "printing error" and the Conservative-run council apologised for the problem.
Andrew Travers, the constituency returning officer for Barnet and Camden, said: "Taking part in the democratic process is a fundamental right for our residents and the main focus this morning was to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
"We will fully investigate the cause of the problems that have arisen. I would like to apologise to everyone who experienced problems with voting in Barnet today."
By mid-afternoon Barnet was offering emergency proxy votes, allowing others to cast their vote for them, provided voters could fill in an online form before 5pm.
The council was unable to say how many of the 236,196 registered voters had been turned away.
Women’s Equality Party mayoral candidate Sophie Walker registered a complaint with the council and the London Assembly.
She said: "I am very disappointed. I have spent my morning responding to messages from people upset that they could not vote.
"Women first got the vote 100 years ago and there are women today who have been unable to vote."
The result of the elections in London can be challenged by voters or candidates by lodging a petition with the Royal Courts of Justice.
Grounds for the appeal include claiming the successful candidate was not duly elected, or the election was invalidated by corrupt or illegal practices.
Guy Fryer, head of stage at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, managed to vote after "standing his ground".
"How can we have a fair vote if not everyone has voted?
"An apology is really not good enough. It's not a bring-and-buy sale. It really, really matters."
Conservative Mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith appealed to voters turned away from polling stations to return later.
